Cuts to environmental services staff lead to rise in hospital-acquired infections, study says

Union representatives drew a relationship between hospital underfunding and a rise in preventable deaths


A union organization says cuts to cleaning services can lead to a rise in hospital-acquired infections, according to an article on the Recorder website.

A study by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) indicates hospital-acquired infections may kill around 3,200 Ontarians per year. 

The study, completed in the fall of 2016, claims provincial funding decreases are at the root of the problem.

Other factors cited include high hospital bed occupancy levels, overcrowding, increased antibiotic use, and the privatization of cleaning staff.

Read the article.

 



January 12, 2017


Topic Area: Environmental Services


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