Back where it started…environmental services

It’s all of us or none of us.

I don’t know that I am any more reflective than usual, but perhaps I am a little more inclined to talk about the journey now that it’s coming to an end. Over the years, I have met a number of folks that got their healthcare start in what used to be known as housekeeping. I got in just at the end of the “housekeeping” era; we morphed into “building services.” (I started out as a “heavy cleaner,” which seems somehow prophetic given my countenance, but we will leave that for a moment). I am always tickled when I see that there are still folks kicking around who have taken similar paths (as I look back to where I started versus where I am, I am still quite bemused by the career arc—it’s still something of a surprise to be where I am today), and even more so when I note that those paths can have a common theme over time. Having just finished some LinkedIn Learning relative to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), it also makes me reflect on a slightly different take on inclusion—inclusion of responsibility.  When it comes to the management of the physical environment, I feel very comfortable saying that we will succeed together or we will fail separately.

So, imagine my excitement to read Richard Corder’s article regarding “clean design” in which Mr. Corder offers the following Call To Action (my capitalization):

• Treat care delivery the way you treat cleanliness. Set clear standards. Resource the work. Treat everyone with respect.
• Inspect what you expect—in person and in real time.
• Lead and support the work to design and build the systems that create safe, reliable, high-quality outcomes.
• The highest standards are sustained only when every person notices, acts, and cares enough to make it better. This starts with leaders.

None of this is rocket science (so to speak), but what is it about human nature that presents obstacles to what I think is a straightforward (though hardly simple) approach. Almost 50 years in to a career in healthcare and I can’t say that I am any closer to figuring that out—but I’m going to keep thinking on it.

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.