Česky
What does the cleaning manager do? What does your normal working day look like?
Above all, making sure the hospital not only looks clean, but actually is clean. Every day when I come to work, the first thing I do is go through the whole hospital and check if everything is clean or if anything is needed. With the cleaners I always discuss their workload for the day the day before, so from the morning each one knows which area is hers and what she has to do that day.
How many people take care of cleaning the whole hospital and what kind of schedule do they work in?
In total, there are 25 of us in the hospital. In general, however, each of the girls has her own role and department to take care of, and every day there are additional tasks. The number of cleaners per department is very individual, and it is different for each department. It depends on how big it is and if there is a high turnover of people. For example, in the internal ward, more cleaning people are needed because there is also a higher concentration of patients. On the other hand, there are fewer people in the children's ward or the delivery rooms. This is also perhaps why the girls like to clean there the most (laughs).
What do you like most about your job?
I think what I enjoy most about my job is the contact with people. I'm an extrovert type and I couldn't be locked up in an office somewhere, I need to be on the move all the time. I always get a call, I quickly run to check it and eventually call someone to the place to clean it. At the same time I have a great team here, that's very important to me.
Several people have pointed out to me that the hospital in Hořovice does not smell of disinfection like other hospitals. How do you do it?
It must be because we try to look after the hospital as if it were our own (smiles). We clean and mop the hospital regularly. Even to the extent that throughout the day the cleaners go through the assigned area several times to make sure everything is really clean. We also take out the garbage frequently.
How often do you have to change tools in hospital cleaning?
We don't need to change the cleaning tool carts that often, we just wash them every day. What does need to be changed are the mops. Of course, then the disinfectants and cleaning agents themselves, which we use in the order of tens of litres per week.
What problems have you had to deal with with regard to minimising the spread of covid-19?
The most significant change is definitely the increased frequency of cleaning. We have also started to clean differently than we did before covid-19. We are careful to clean, for example, door handles, railings, seats and so on. Previously, it was enough to clean it just like everything else, but now we have to pay extra attention to it and disinfect everything frequently. We have also added covid cells and a ward for sick patients where we disinfect the areas several times a day. There, along with the medical staff, the cleaners have to wear special suits so that they don't get infected. I have tried it myself several times, and it is a real strain to clean in it, even for three hours.
How does the cooperation with the medical staff and patients work? Don't they make servants of the cleaners? Do they act condescending?
On the contrary. The cooperation with the medical staff and patients is very good, they treat us with courtesy and respect. Of course, sometimes there are patients who are not always nice, but there are not that many of them. Most of them seem to realise that we are also doing our best, and they treat us accordingly. For example, the hospital staff call me "fast-footed" because when they call me, I always run to be with them as quickly as possible (laughs).
More and more households are turning to non-toxic cleaning products, is there a similar trend in public spaces?
I think we are slowly starting to go down that route. We try to use products that we have tested and that are also more environmentally friendly. There are a lot of such means, so we are trying to take advantage of that.
How do you clean your head after work? How do you relax?
After work, I like to spend time with my family and grandchildren. If I want to relax and switch off for a while, I go to the garden or read. I generally prefer an active kind of relaxation, watching TV all day is not for me.
