A HOSPITAL trust has threatened to axe its contractors in a row over cleaning.

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust has said it may not renew its multi-million pound contract with Carillion after a slip in cleanliness at Colchester General Hospital.

At a meeting yesterday, the trust’s board of directors heard that although cleanliness at the hospital had recently been rated as excellent, there was evidence standards at the Turner Road site were not up to scratch at weekends.

Julie Firth, director of nursing, said she had shared her concerns with Carillion after weekly walkarounds with senior staff and housekeepers. She said: “Walking around, I haven’t been entirely happy. The standard of cleaning on a Monday is not what I would expect.

“I walked round this week with the housekeepers, and the main corridors are my concern.

“We are doing an awful lot of maintenance work at the moment, and that brings in some obvious muck.

“We are also doing a lot of moving round and making changes, and coming to the end of our contract with Carillion, there is discussion about its ability to maintain the standard we expect.”

She warned the trust was considering not renewing its seven-year contract, which expires on July 1, unless the situation improved.

“Certainly it will make it easier for us when it comes to the tender process if they continue not to deliver,” she added.

Services provided at the hospital by the company include pest control, grounds maintenance, catering, cleaning, laundry, portering, waste management, security and car parking.

Shelley Eyers, a spokeswoman from Carillion’s head office, said: “Carillion is not aware of any of the concerns that have been raised, so we would need to hear the nature of the concerns directly from the client, the trust.”

She added bosses had met trust staff yesterday for an appraisal, and no concerns about cleaning were mentioned.