NTH Solutions, the provider of estates and facilities services to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, has helped students return to 30 schools across the North East with its NHS standard deep cleaning service.
The NHS-owned company has partnered with schools across the region to provide its Infection Control Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service, which provides staff, children and parents with the peace of mind that the schools have been deep cleaned and bio decontaminated to the highest possible standards.
The unique initiative offers a Reassurance Partnership to schools and other organisations in the North East and Yorkshire, providing an ongoing deep cleaning service to uphold a baseline level of cleanliness, all while reinvesting profits back into the NHS to support front-line patient care.
In addition to the deep cleaning and bio decontamination procedures, the service offers retraining of existing cleaning staff, audits to ensure cleaning standards are being maintained, drop-in sessions to provide information and reassurance for staff and/or pupils, swift outbreak response and official certification to confirm the school has been decontaminated to NHS standards.
NTH Solutions has so far developed ongoing partnerships with two large education trusts in the North East, Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust and Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, as well as St Patrick’s RCVA Primary School and St Cuthbert’s RC Voluntary Aided Primary School in Stockton. The service helped prepare the schools in welcoming students back on 15th June and in September, as well as providing ongoing advisory support to reassure staff, parents and students about safely returning to school amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as building strong partnerships within the community, and to ensure the cleaning support in the hospital is not impacted, NTH Solutions has so far introduced 30 new jobs to the North East, with staff receiving the rigorous NHS training.
Brendan Tapping, Chief Executive Officer of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, said: “We were delighted to have NTH Solutions on board to help us prepare for the wider reopening of our schools to greater numbers of staff and students. As an NHS owned company, we knew we were in safe hands with their deep cleaning and bio decontamination service, with the added bonus that any profits are being reinvested into front line patient services at the NHS.
“It has been great to welcome more students and staff back to our schools, with the extra reassurance that they have returned to a safe and clean environment.”
Maura Regan, Chief Executive Officer of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, said: “With schools reopening in line with government guidelines, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our utmost priority.
“In addition to enforcing social distancing measures throughout our schools, we have worked with NTH Solutions to deep clean our schools for safe reopening. The benefit of partnering with an NHS owned company has been invaluable, as it provided us with expert advice in building a new environmental management plan, while also supporting our local NHS Trust.”
Graeme Kelly, Assistant Director of Decontamination at NTH Solutions, said: “As an NHS-owned company, we are fully aware of the importance of infection prevention and control and the associated hygiene practices required in the workplace. This is particularly important for environments where it is more difficult to social distance, such as schools, colleges and nurseries, which is why we are committed to supporting the education sector in getting back up and running, and most importantly supporting them in maintaining a safe environment.
“As organisations across the country adapt to government guidance surrounding Covid-19, our Infection Control Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service will continue to support schools and other local businesses and organisations in the implementation and maintenance of high levels of cleanliness, as well as putting measures in place to protect staff, pupils, customers and the wider community.”