Julius Rutherfoord’s cleaning standards and focus on health and safety have effectively eradicated Norovirus outbreaks from London Borough of Merton Council Schools and Families premises for seven consecutive years.
Norovirus became a serious issue in Merton in the winter of 2007/08 with unacceptable numbers of cases, followed by another debilitating winter of outbreaks in 2008/09. The council launched a rigorous competitive tender process to find a cleaning contractor that could successfully battle this problem through effective and thorough cleaning techniques.
Julius Rutherfoord began cleaning Merton’s Schools and Families premises in April 2009, implementing its ISO-accredited management and auditing systems and empowering the existing cleaning teams through training and motivation to transform standards of cleaning.
Chris Parkes, operations director at Julius Rutherfoord, said: “Norovirus is a highly infectious and often debilitating infection that can thrive in busy, closed environments like schools - as previous outbreaks have demonstrated only too well. We are passionate about improving the health and well-being of the people who use the facilities that we clean, and have made it our personal mission to eradicate norovirus from Merton Council Schools and Families premises, as well as every single other building we clean.”
Zero Norovirus outbreaks at Merton Council Schools and Families premises is in contrast to the national trend. According to Public Health England, the number of laboratory reports of Norovirus in this season stood at 3329 at the start of February - 4% higher than the average number for the same period in the five preceding winters.
Chris Parkes continued: “The winter of 2016/2017, when the Norovirus is typically at its worst, has once again revealed a remarkable 100% success rate of eradication, with not one outbreak in any of the schools, libraries or social services establishments covered by our cleaning contract. We are extremely proud to be contributing to a healthier working and learning environment in Merton Council Schools and Families premises. Our meticulous cleaning extends to every facility that we work on, including our own buildings. In fact, Julius Rutherfoord is a winner of the Kimberly-Clark Professional Golden Service Healthy Workplace Award for our own home - The Tramshed in Battersea, London. The award recognises companies that have taken significant steps to provide a more hygienic office environment to help reduce sickness and increase employee wellbeing.”