The World of Cleaning Issue 20 2020 | Page 10

10 THE WORLD OF CLEANING Cleen And Changing Places Team Up To Improve Washroom Standards Cleen A national consortium which campaigns for the provision of specially-adapted washroom facilities has adopted an innovative system which has been developed by a Derby company to help raise standards across the UK. The Changing Places Consortium – co-chaired by Muscular Dystrophy UK – has campaigned for more than a decade for fully-accessible toilets for people with severe disabilities who need extra equipment and space to use toilets safely and with dignity. More than 1,300 Changing Places facilities are now registered across the UK but many areas still lack adequate provision. Monitoring the Changing Places network will now be far easier thanks to Cleen - the UK’s first fully integrated washroom services management tool and review app – which has been developed by Hygiene Services Group (HSG) in Pride Park. Cleen enables washroom users to log and publish reviews – good and bad – via a free app that is easily downloaded onto a smartphone. The Cleen app has a special area for reviews of Changing Places toilets which can be published on issues such as faulty bed hoists and unreachable emergency cords as well as cleanliness issues. Alternatively, users can highlight positive experiences which are shared publicly on the app for others to encourage others to visit the venue. Washroom services and water conservation specialists HSG has provided Changing Places and equipment suppliers in the washrooms with a free Cleen Dashboard. This will notify the equipment providers and consortium instantly of issues highlighted via the Cleen App so that appropriate action can be taken. HSG is now working with venues who have Changing Places washrooms on site to enable them to have their own individual dashboards so that they can also monitor reviews, take action and post positive reviews themselves. Facility providers can also purchase the Cleen Tablet which are installed in or near washrooms and enables reviews to be posted directly on site without a smartphone. “We’re delighted that Cleen is supporting Changing Places. We look forward to working together to campaign for a more inclusive society.” The partnership was officially launched at an event at Leeds City Museum on Friday (July 19) to mark Changing Places awareness day. The Cleen App is free to download onto a smartphone and enables washroom users to log reviews of washroom facilities in any type of venue. For more information please visit www.cleen.world or search the app store in Apple or Android. Clare Lucas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Muscular Dystrophy UK, which co-chairs the Changing Places Consortium, said: “Having access to a well-equipped toilet is a matter of respect and dignity for people who are severely disabled. “However, the stark reality is that without enough Changing Places many disabled people face the choice of not going out or being changed on dirty floors. They are denied a basic human right: using a toilet. WEBsiTE: www.cleen.world For more information about Changing Places and to see the map of facilities across the UK, please visit www.changing-places.org