A second team of hospital cleaners has made a clean sweep at a special award ceremony held at Withybush Hospital recently. Nearly 40 Hotel Facilities and Domestic staff of the Hywel Dda NHS Trust have swept away national awards recognising high standards of quality in their cleaning work. The Cleaning Operatives Proficiency Certificate award, issued by the British Institute of Cleaning Science, will help to ensure that the Trust has a highly-qualified cleaning workforce, improved quality of cleaning provision and a motivated cleaning staff. Said Trust interim chairman Mrs. Lynette George: "We are really proud of the important work that our domestic staff carry out, not just in keeping the hospital clean and so minimising infection, but also in bridging the gap between patients and staff. They help us to provide a better environment for patients which results in better care." The training initiative was instigated last year after the Trust secured £37,000 in Welsh Assembly Government funding to help meet new National Standards of Cleanliness guidelines and Welsh Risk Management Standards for Cleanliness. The aim of the project was to provide training for all cleaning staff across the Trust and to achieve this, Hotel Facilities supervisor David Williams had to qualify as a registered BICs assessor. Nearly 60 Hotel Facilities and Domestic staff at the former Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust achieved the first set of national awards in 2007. Said Mrs. George: "I would like to congratulate all staff for their hard work. The Trust is continuously seeking to improve cleanliness and both patients and visitors value this work. As a Trust, we appreciate their continuous effort and hope to see more staff achieving this award in the future."