Holly Lodge mental health unit, The Meadows, Skegness, is undergoing a ‘deep clean’ to combat the spread of infection thanks to a £440,000 grant from the Department of Health.

The deep clean will help the Trust continue to keep its infection rates very low and make sure units are clean and tidy. 

The cleaning will involve a deep clean, a decluttering and re-decoration. This will ensure the unit is free from visible and hidden dirt.

Deep cleans are an intense cleaning process beyond the thorough cleaning undertaken on a day-to-day basis. They incorporate the deep cleaning of vents, grills and radiators, wall washing, carpet cleaning and the deep cleaning of all equipment.

The £440,000 grant is for a cleaning programme that will see 13 Trust units across the county undergo a deep clean. The clean is being undertaken on a ward by ward basis to minimise the disruption for patients and the cleaning process will be complete by July.

Acting Deputy Director of Nursing Margaret Henderson said: “All-round cleanliness is vital in helping to reduce the risk of infection spreading and to ensure that people have confidence that our properties are safe places to be. £440,000 is a significant amount of money and it allows us to be really thorough with our deep clean programme and provide replacement cleaning equipment for all areas.

“Infection at Trust properties is very rare, but this extra deep cleaning programme will ensure that we continue to minimise the risk of infections occurring.

“This programme is in conjunction with campaigns such as the ‘Hand in Hand’ hand washing promotion to ensure people – staff, service users and visitors – know that good cleanliness is everyone’s business and that it is acceptable for service users to ask staff if they have washed their hands before being examined by staff. I am sure visitors to Holly Lodge will notice a marked difference in the overall look.”