A clean and tidy workplace is essential for the success of any business. A clean environment not only creates a good impression on customers, but it also boosts employee productivity and morale. In recent years, commercial cleaning companies have become an integral part of the business world. They help keep workplaces clean and hygienic, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
A proactive commercial cleaning company is one that goes above and beyond in its efforts to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. It is a company that is constantly looking for ways to improve its services and stay ahead of the curve. Here are some of the characteristics of a proactive commercial cleaning company.
"Being proactive is taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens"
A proactive commercial cleaning company understands that every business is unique and has its own specific cleaning requirements. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all solution, they provide customised cleaning plans that cater to the specific needs of their clients. This ensures that the cleaning is tailored to the needs of the business, and nothing is overlooked. The cleaning needs of an office will be very different to a school, which will be very different to a medical practice, and so on.
A proactive commercial cleaning company pays attention to every detail of the cleaning process. They understand that cleanliness is not just about what is visible on the surface, but it's also about what's hidden away in corners and crevices. They make sure that every nook and cranny is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised, providing a clean and hygienic place of work.
A proactive commercial cleaning company cares about the environment and takes steps to reduce its carbon footprint. They use eco-friendly cleaning products that are safe for people, pets, and the environment. This not only ensures a healthier workplace but also shows that the company is socially responsible. At Green Fox Cleaning, we use dosage systems, reducing our plastic usage by up to 99% in our daily use products.
A proactive commercial cleaning company ensures that its staff is well-trained and certified in cleaning techniques. They are knowledgeable about the latest cleaning methods and equipment, ensuring that the cleaning is done efficiently and effectively. At Green Fox Cleaning, our staff are trained to a nationally recognised standard by our in-house British Institute of Cleaning Science accredited trainers.
A proactive commercial cleaning company conducts regular inspections to ensure that the cleaning is up to the mark. They take feedback from their clients and make necessary changes to their cleaning plans, ensuring that their clients are always satisfied. Our audits at sites are GPS tracked, with clear percentage scores and photographs all into a PDF document that is shared with our clients, for full transparency.
A proactive commercial cleaning company understands that emergencies can happen at any time. They offer 24/7 emergency cleaning services, ensuring that their clients can get help whenever they need it. Yes you guessed it - our offices all have a 24-hour client support line, meaning we are there when you need us the most.
In conclusion, a proactive commercial cleaning company is one that is committed to providing the best possible cleaning services to its clients. They are dedicated to maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for everyone. If you are looking for a commercial cleaning company, look for one that exhibits these characteristics, and you can be assured of quality service.
Click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office, and let us provide a free, no obligation quote for our proactive commercial cleaning services.
A clean and well-maintained work environment is essential for the productivity and success of any business. Hiring a professional commercial cleaning company is a crucial investment in your business, and while it may seem tempting to opt for a lower-priced service, there are several benefits to choosing a higher-priced commercial cleaning service.
There are numerous benefits of higher priced commercial cleaning services compared to cheap companies - here are what we consider the top 6 points.
"If you think a higher priced commercial cleaning service is expensive, you should consider how much a cheap one could cost you in lost time complaining and greater issues!"
Paul Barrett - Founding Director, Green Fox Cleaning
In conclusion, while a higher-priced commercial cleaning service may seem like a significant investment, the benefits of higher priced commercial cleaning services far outweigh the costs. A higher-priced service can provide you with a higher quality of service, greater attention to detail, customised cleaning plans, greater reliability, and reduced liability, all of which can help improve your business's overall success.
At Green Fox Cleaning, we are rarely the cheapest commercial cleaning company, and have no interest in joining the race to the bottom that other commercial cleaning companies seem happy to join.
Just think, how could we be the cheapest, and still offer all these benefits, plus many more?
If you appreciate the benefits of higher priced commercial cleaning services, click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office, and let us provide a free, no obligation great value quote for our unrivalled great value local contract cleaning services.
If you're a dental practice owner or manager, you know the importance of maintaining a clean and hygienic environment for your patients. Regular cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, equipment, and instruments is essential to prevent the spread of germs and ensure the safety of your staff and patients.
But cleaning your dental practice is not a task that you can leave to just anyone - you need a professional cleaning company that understands the unique needs of dental practices and can provide high-quality cleaning services.
A dental practice which doesn’t maintain high standards of cleanliness will certainly lose patients, risks passing on infections and could fail inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). For this reason, it is of paramount importance that cleaning practices are thorough, well organised and consistently upheld.
Poor cleaning standards and poor personal hygiene standards at dental practices can in the worst case scenarios end up in closures of practices, staff suspensions / dismissals and negative press reports about your dental practice. This makes it more important than ever to understand how to clean a dental practice correctly.
Here are ten great tips for selecting a good cleaning company for your dental practice.
Hopefully this article about selecting a great dental practice cleaning company has been useful.
If you would like a free and no obligation quote for your dental practice, please click here to contact your local office.
We work with both local independent dental practices, and nationally recognised brands, including Bupa Dental care.
The placement of highly vetted cleaners is incredibly important for a variety of reasons in the commercial cleaning sector. Whether you are looking to contract cleaning services in your school, care home or office with confidential paperwork, it is crucial to ensure that the cleaners being placed on site have been thoroughly screened and vetted to ensure that they are trustworthy, reliable, and capable of providing high-quality cleaning services.
Here are five reasons why the placement of highly vetted cleaners is so important:
The most common reason for wanting highly vetted cleaners for your workplace is for the security and safeguarding considerations. When you have contract cleaners entering your workplace, you are essentially giving them access to your personal space. This means that you need to be able to trust them implicitly. Highly vetted cleaners have undergone a variety of background checks, reference checks, and other screening processes to ensure that they are trustworthy and have a clean criminal record. This provides peace of mind and ensures that your property is safe and secure.
At Green Fox Cleaning we follow various strict recruitment processes, including the safer schools recruitment process for staff being placed at educational premises. We undertake open source research from numerous locations, ensuing we leave no stone unturned when it comes to the selection of highly vetted cleaners joining our team.
Highly vetted cleaners are often more experienced and skilled than their less-vetted counterparts. They have gone through an often lengthy selection and vetting process prior to even being able to start working at your premises, demonstrating their commitment to their new role. This means that they are better equipped to provide high-quality cleaning services that meet your exacting standards as long as the contract cleaning company give great levels of training and support. At Green Fox Cleaning, our staff receive thorough training from our in-house British Institute of Cleaning Science Cleaning accredited trainers.
Highly vetted cleaners can be a great way to save time and free up your schedule for other important tasks relating to the day to day running of your business. By delegating your cleaning tasks to a reliable and skilled cleaner, you can focus on other priorities without sacrificing the cleanliness and organisation of your space. At Green Fox Cleaning, we can make our cleaning services invisible for clients that wish this, allowing the cleaning fairies to come in out of hours and make everything look perfect once more for the following morning.
If you work at a school, nursery or workplace with vulnerable visitors or residents such as care homes, it is expected that you will be responsible and ensure that you consider all safeguarding to keep these people safe. Highly vetted cleaners will come with enhanced DBS checks to prove they are clear of any criminal convictions, along with our vetting processes. DBS certificates have unique certificate numbers and issue dates, which a good contract cleaning company will share with you for your own due diligence and record keeping. At Green Fox Cleaning, we offer 'live time' updated shared staffing links with our clients, so they can refer to staff DBS certificate numbers at any point where needed.
Having highly vetted cleaners at your workplace will give you and those around you peace of mind. If your staff know your contract cleaning company are highly vetted their staff rather than simply finding from from an advert in a shop window, this should reassure your staff that you are dealing with a professional contract cleaning company.
In summary, using the services of a commercial cleaning company who provide highly vetted cleaners can provide a wide range of benefits, including enhanced security, quality of service, liability protection, professionalism, health and safety, customisation, and time-saving. If you are in need of cleaning services, it is important to take the time to thoroughly vet your options to ensure that you choose a company who can provide these important benefits.
Click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office, and let us provide a free, no obligation quote for cleaning services with the placement of our highly vetted cleaners and cleaning teams.
Contract cleaning companies have become increasingly popular in recent years, as businesses and organisations look for ways to save time and money by outsourcing their cleaning needs. These companies offer a range of services, from daily janitorial cleaning to deep cleaning and specialised cleaning services including window cleaning and professional floor care. In this post, we will explore the benefits of using contract cleaning companies and some key considerations when selecting a provider for your workplace.
Benefits of using Contract Cleaning Companies
One of the biggest benefits of using a good contract cleaning company is the time and cost savings that they can provide, allowing you to focus on the daily running of your business. Outsourcing cleaning tasks to a professional company can free up staff time to focus on other tasks and responsibilities. In addition, a contract cleaning company can often provide cleaning services more efficiently and effectively than an in-house team, thanks to specialised training and equipment.
Another advantage of using contract cleaning companies is the flexibility they can provide. Most companies offer a range of services and can tailor their offerings to meet the specific needs of each client. This means that businesses can choose to use contract cleaners for daily janitorial tasks, periodic deep cleaning or specialised services including carpet cleaning, hard floor care or pressure washing. At Green Fox Cleaning, we offer 24/7 availability, allowing businesses to schedule cleaning services at any time of day or night with us.
In addition to these practical benefits, contract cleaning companies such as Green Fox Cleaning can also provide peace of mind to businesses and organisations. By outsourcing cleaning tasks to Green Fox, businesses can rest assured that their facilities will be cleaned to a high standard, using safe and effective cleaning products and methods. This can be especially important for businesses that serve vulnerable populations, such as medical premises, schools, and nursing homes.
Selecting a Contract Cleaning Company
While there are many benefits to using a contract cleaning companies, it is important to choose the right provider for your needs.
Here are five key considerations to keep in mind when selecting a contract cleaning company:
When selecting a contract cleaning company, it is important to choose a provider with a strong track record of success. Look for a company that has been in business for several years and has a proven reputation for providing high-quality cleaning services. You can also ask for references from current or past clients to get a sense of the company's reliability and professionalism. Our reviews are clear for all to see, at various sites including Trustpilot.
Make sure to choose a contract cleaning company that offers the services you need. Some companies specialise in certain areas, such as window cleaning or floor care, while others offer a wide range of services. Make sure to ask about the specific services offered by each company, as well as any limitations or restrictions. At Green Fox, we focus on delivering an excellent service level to clients in all sectors. We can supply consumable products such as toilet roll, hand towels and bin liners to our clients, making us a true one stop shop - all from our trusted local suppliers.
Contract cleaning companies staff should be well-trained and certified in order to provide effective and safe cleaning services. Make sure to choose a contract cleaning company that invests in staff training and certification, and that uses safe and effective cleaning products and methods. Our staff are trained to a nationally recognised level with our British Institute of Cleaning Science in-house accredited trainers.
A reputable contract cleaning company will have insurance in place to protect both themselves and their clients in case of accidents or damages. Make sure to ask about the insurance coverage of each company you are considering. We offer comprehensive public liability, product and employers insurance policies for all our clients.
Finally, choose a contract cleaning company that is easy to communicate with and flexible in terms of scheduling and service delivery. Look for a company that is responsive to client needs and can accommodate changes in schedule or service requests. Our 24/7 client support line and local support office teams ensure our communication and service level is second to none.
In summary
Contract cleaning companies can provide a range of benefits to independent businesses and organisations, including time and cost savings, flexibility, and peace of mind. When selecting a provider, it is important to choose a company with a strong reputation, comprehensive services, well-trained staff, insurance and bonding coverage, and good communication and flexibility. By choosing the right contract cleaning company, businesses can ensure that their facilities are clean, safe, and well-maintained, allowing them to focus
Click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office, and let us provide a free, no obligation quote for our unrivalled local contract cleaning services.
Maintaining a clean and tidy office environment is essential for the productivity and morale of employees. However, keeping an office clean and sanitised can be a daunting task, especially for large organisations where there may be hundreds of employees working.
Hiring a professional office cleaning company is an excellent way to ensure that your office is clean and hygienic. But how do you select a great office cleaning company? In this article, we will discuss some essential factors to consider when choosing an office cleaning company.
One of the critical factors to consider when selecting an office cleaning company is reputation and experience. You need to choose a company that has a good reputation and extensive experience in providing office cleaning services. A reputable company will have a track record of providing quality services, and you can check their reviews and ratings online. You can also ask for references and testimonials from previous clients to gauge the quality of their services. Experienced companies have the necessary skills, knowledge, and equipment to clean and sanitise your office effectively.
When selecting an office cleaning company, it is essential to know the services they offer. A good office cleaning company should provide a range of cleaning services to meet the unique needs of your office. Some of the services that a good office cleaning company should be able to provide include daily cleaning, carpet cleaning and deeper cleaning. They should also be able to provide customised cleaning schedules and services to meet your specific needs, treating every client as an individual.
A great office cleaning company will have well-trained and certified employees. Cleaning staff should be trained on the latest cleaning techniques, equipment, and products to ensure that they deliver quality services. They should also be certified by relevant authorities to provide office cleaning services. Certification shows that they meet the necessary standards of cleanliness and sanitation. At Green Fox Cleaning, our accredited British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) trainers train our staff to this nationally recognised standard.
Office cleaning should be done at a time that is convenient for you and your employees. Your selected office cleaning company should be available to work around your schedule. They should be flexible and able to work outside normal working hours to avoid disrupting your operations. Additionally, they should be able to provide emergency cleaning services in case of unexpected spills or accidents. At Green Fox Cleaning, our 24-hour client support line means we are available when our clients and employees need us most.
The cleaning products and equipment used by an office cleaning company are crucial in determining the quality of their services. You should aim for an office cleaning company that use environmentally friendly cleaning products that are safe for your employees and the environment, whilst also being highly effective. They should also have modern equipment and tools that can clean and sanitise your office effectively. At Green Fox Cleaning, we have tested hundreds of products, and continue to monitor and select the most effective cleaning equipment, with minimal environmental impact.
Office cleaning involves the use of equipment and chemicals, which can be hazardous. Any good office cleaning company should have comprehensive insurance to protect you in case of accidents or damages. Insurance covers damages to your property or injuries to the cleaning staff.
The cost of office cleaning services is an essential factor to consider when selecting an office cleaning company. A great office cleaning company should provide quality services at a price that represents great value - a good commercial cleaning company won't be cheap, and a cheap commercial cleaning company won't be good!
Any quote for office cleaning services should be transparent provide detailed quotes that indicate the services included in the package. Additionally, they should be able to work within your budget and offer discounts for longer-term contracts.
Communication is crucial when it comes to office cleaning services. A great office cleaning company should have an effective communication system that enables them to understand your needs and expectations. They should also be responsive to your queries, concerns, and complaints. They should provide regular updates on their services and be able to communicate any changes in their schedules. At Green Fox Cleaning, a local management and support team will ensure the highest level of service for our clients.
Conclusion
Choosing a great office cleaning company is crucial in maintaining a clean and hygienic office environment. When selecting an office cleaning company, you should consider their reputation and experience, cleaning services offered, training and certification, availability and flexibility, cleaning products, equipment and insurance.
Click here to contact your local office, and let us provide a free, no obligation quote.
Student accommodation is BIG business. Student halls of residence are appearing across towns and villages across the country.
Student accommodation now comes in many guises, with the largest setups being student halls of residence, with many students favouring this setup over student shared houses.
There are a number of benefits offered by student halls, including the following
Many student halls of residence are now run as commercial ventures, with any profits invested back into the educational facilities. Student accommodation services must therefore offer great value.
Day to day communal area cleaning of these premises is important to keep the blocks not only looking great, but minimise the risk of any sickness or viral outbreaks - now more than ever.
With larger blocks commonly housing literally hundreds of students, you can quickly appreciate the challenge of making the right choice when it comes to student accommodation cleaning services - for both regular cleaning and deeper cleaning across summer holidays.
Having one week to clean hundreds of student flats, kitchens, communal areas and stairwells within larger blocks in a week or less is not uncommon. This can mean teams of 40 or more cleaning staff are required every day round the clock to complete these mammoth tasks.
Tasks will include, but not be limited to, the following:
Portsmouth is one such city that has experienced large growth for student accommodation year on year. These halls of residence are in all shapes and sizes, with their bright and vibrant external appearances drawing the eye to them. Student halls situated over 20 or more floors are not an uncommon sight.
The student accommodation cleaning services that we provide can include both daily cleaning for communal areas, as well as deep cleaning services over student move in and out periods, and work round the clock.
When students and their family are looking for new accommodation, first impressions count. That is why the selection of a great cleaning company for your student accommodation cleaning services is essential.
Who wants to walk into a dirty lobby, or see a dirty room with reminisce of the previous occupant still in the room?
Our communal area student accommodation cleaning services are tailored to you and your student halls, so we can deliver the very best results, whilst offering you a great value service. We will work to your preferred times and have a clearly agreed cleaning schedule. We pride ourselves on our excellent reputation and reliability through our GPS tracked shifts monitored 24/7 by an on-call local manager.
The benefits of our showroom cleaning service:
We hope this article has detailed a number of benefits of using Green Fox Cleaning. Below is a summary of our service benefits.
We hope you have found this article on making the right choice for student accommodation cleaning services useful.
Click here to contact your local office for a free, no obligation quote, and let us explain how we can help improve the appearance of your premises with our work.
We know the rough cost of many products we buy, but can we say the same about cleaning services?
Quite often it is an office manager, or another trusted team member at a business that is tasked to gather quotes for cleaning services at their workplace.
This sounds easy, right? Just contact a few companies, and see what happens.
How do you then decide which of the quotes is offering you the best VALUE.
It is important that you consider what type of commercial cleaning service you require for your business. There are generally three options you will discover, once you receive your quotes.
Far be up from us to tell you how to run your business, but most people want a product or service that offers the best possible value - this will rarely, if ever, be the cheapest quote. Some companies won't want your custom for any number of reasons, and will simply price high to try and put you off, or make it worth their while if you do accept.
For example, the following are just a few of the service benefits offered by Green Fox Cleaning to their clients:
✅ GPS recorded shifts, to ensure our clients receive what they pay for.
✅ Highly trained staff, trained by our British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) trainers
✅ A 24-hour support line for both our clients and cleaners, meaning we are there when you need us the most.
There are many more benefits offered by our service, but you can clearly see that these three benefits alone don't come cheap! If another cleaning company simply hopes their staff turn up, employ the first person to apply for the job and dump them to clean your premises with no training, and go off the radar after 5pm each day - it stands to reason they can offer a much CHEAPER service - not a better value service.
Something you should always consider are the HIDDEN COSTS with a CHEAP commercial cleaning quote.
❌ Your time chasing the cleaning company to complain about a poor clean, or no-one turning up at all!
❌ Waiting days on end for a response to your emails, letting issues drag on
❌ Dealing with complaints from staff and customers about the poor levels of cleanliness at your premises
At Green Fox Cleaning, we pride ourselves on paying our staff a fair wage, never the minimum wage. With effect from 1st April 2023, there is a 9.7% increase to the national minimum wage, increasing it to £10.42 per hour for all employees aged 23 years or above.
So let's look at a crude, but guide calculation of what this costs a cleaning company.
For the purposes of this example, we will assume the cleaner is earning £10.50 per hour, and works 15 hours per week.
So we can see that even a cleaner being paid just over the new minimum wage is actually costing the cleaning company that employs them circa £12 per hour. This is before they have been issued uniform, been trained, or a single cleaning cloth or chemical is placed at your premises.
This is before the cleaning company have factored ANY costs to run your contract smoothly, complete audits, pay their office rent, utilities, cleaning machinery or anything else!
So if you get a quote for around £15 per hour - have a good think about how much effort or time that cleaning company are going to give you as a client, and how much they will care. That would leave them around £195 per MONTH to supply cleaning equipment and cover all their other expenses within this commercial cleaning cost! Crazy eh?!
If you site is small in terms of cleaning needs and only needs say 5 hours cleaning per week, that would leave the cleaning company just £65 per month for chemicals and running your contract!
We aren't suggesting you should necessarily be paying £50 per hour, but you certainly shouldn't expect a good value commercial cleaning company to provide their commercial cleaning service for £15 per hour!
As you can see from the above points, there is no simple answer to give a definitive figure. As of 2023, you can expect to see a range from anywhere between £15-£40 per hour plus VAT depending on where you are in the country, what machinery is required on site (a good floor scrubbing machine costs typically £3,000 -£6,000 plus VAT) and how many hours per week you are having supplied to you.
We hope this article has detailed a number of benefits of using a great value commercial cleaning service such as Green Fox Cleaning, and given you a better understanding of commercial cleaning costs. Below is a summary of our service benefits and what is included in our commercial cleaning cost for cleaning services.
We hope you have found this article on commercial cleaning costs useful.
Click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office for a free, no obligation quote and discover our commercial cleaning cost - we will let you decide whether or not it represents good value.
Commercial cleaning cost is not a simple one number fits all, and really does not full exploration. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have around commercial cleaning cost for your premises, or more general questions aorund commercial cleaning cost UK and how to ensure you receive great value.
At Green Fox, we appreciate that showroom cleaning services are bespoke to each venue, and the selection of a showroom cleaning company needs to be a carefully considered decision.
Showrooms come in many guises, including the following:
Whichever sector your business operates in, a clean and well presented showroom demonstrates the attention to detail level that your customers expect. Many purchases at showrooms are often the biggest expense for many people, after the purchase of their home or vehicle. The appearance of your showroom reflects your brand, culture and experience and will positively influence sales. On the flip side, people don’t trust scruffy showrooms - they expect those poor standards to continue to the product being sold.
Our site dedicated showroom cleaning operatives are fully-trained, experienced and work to detailed cleaning schedules based on your business needs. We can operate during your opening hours to provide ongoing cleaning and maintenance services, as well as more traditional out of hours showroom cleaning services.
The showroom cleaning company services that we provide can include daily cleaning, up to seven days a week. We ensure effective and efficient communication with your management team, regular quality audits and absence cover to ensure consistent staffing and in turn service levels are maintained at all times.
We can also assist with temporary showroom venues, such as those setup at car events, fashion shows and art displays. You can read about our work at Goodwood Festival of Speed for the outside showroom areas for BMW and Porsche by clicking here.
When your customers walk through the door and enter your showroom, it’s not only the products on display that that they see.
Your showroom floors need to be spotless, staff desks uncluttered, chrome and mirrors gleaming and your toilets sparkling - all delivering the highest possible customer experience. A great showroom cleaning company will take care of this invisibly for you, allowing you to focus on selling your products.
Our showroom cleaning services are tailored to you and your business so we can deliver the very best results, whilst offering you a great value service. We will work around your opening times and daily schedule in order to keep disruption to your business to an absolute minimum, and pride ourselves on our excellent reputation and reliability through our GPS tracked shifts monitored 24/7 by an on-call manager.
Our highly trained cleaners are experienced in cleaning all areas of showrooms, to also include offices, staff areas and customer toilets, leaving your entire premises beautifully clean and fresh. As a one-stop-shop for all your cleaning needs, our showroom cleaning company services include everything you need to keep your business looking its best.
We hope this article has detailed a number of benefits of using Green Fox. Below is a summary of our service benefits.
We hope you have found this article on making the right choice for showroom cleaning services useful.
Click here to learn more about our work in this sector, or click here to contact your local office for a free, no obligation quote.
A showroom is a large space used to display products, entertainment or visual arts. They come in all sizes, in all sectors with one thing in common - they need to always looks great for visiting customers!
Have you heard of necrotising fasciitis?
No? Don’t worry – you’re not alone.
This post has no absolutely information about our core business of commercial cleaning - but is potentially one that could help save a life.
Necrotising fasciitis is a rare, but life-threatening infection also known as the “flesh eating disease.” Even with treatment, it is estimated that 1 or 2 in every 5 cases are fatal. There are only circa 500 confirmed cases across the entire United Kingdom each year.
One of our founding Directors, Paul Barrett, caught this life threatening infection in November 2021. This is Paul’s story of what happened when he caught necrotising fasciitis, to try and raise awareness about this lethal infection.
“It was 19th November 2021. I was living with my husband Daniel in our new home and had only been there two weeks. I went to bed feeling fine and woke around 3am. I was freezing cold, yet I was sweating profusely, and the bed was soaked. Soaked from my sweat to the degree that Daniel had to get multiple towels for me to lay on.
I felt awful, and assumed it was Covid. I had previously had Covid some months before and couldn’t think of anything else it could be.
I hadn’t eaten anything that I could think would cause food poisoning and had never heard of necrotising fasciitis.
The following morning and the next two days I felt weak and was going from hot to cold.
Daily covid tests were negative, but I was sick a handful of times and felt achy over my body – typical signs of Covid as per the NHS website.
A couple of sleepless nights passed feeling the same, with towels needed each night for profuse sweating.
Around day three, my left leg began aching. I assumed this was because I had pulled a muscle from tossing and turning in bed all night with the sweats and not being able to sleep. There was absolutely nothing visible on my leg, so I suspected simply a slightly pulled muscle.
We were due to go on holiday a couple of days later, so we decided it was best to call 111 to get some advice. They called me back within about 30 minutes after I logged the call, and due to the leg and other symptoms described, I was advised to attend my local hospital A&E department to get checked out.
By the time we arrived at hospital, I was now struggling to walk on my left leg, was sweating and kept feeling as though I was going to faint. These symptoms ramped up very quickly.
After initial screening at hospital, a blood test was taken.
I am no doctor (as will be clear from my next description), but even I could tell things were bad next. When you have a blood test to check for infection levels, the result is scored with a number (with zero being no infection).
The doctor looking after me explained that anything scoring 5 or above is an infection requiring treatment, and anything over 50 would be considered a high level of infection.
I was then told that my infection count was over four hundred!
I was immediately admitted to the majors ward, where I was attached to various machines, and fluids and medicines were pumped into me.
I could now not lift my left leg up off the bed. I didn’t know what was going on and if I would be able to move or use my leg again.
Further tests were ongoing, but no-one could work out what the infection was. Over the next few days in hospital my infection level ‘score’ increased to over 500 (ten times the number considered a high infection). I lost use of my left leg, and I was naturally fearing for my life.
Due to Covid, the opportunity for Daniel to visit me was limited to once a day after a few days, after no visits being possible initially.
I must have seen over twenty doctors / consultants over the next few days. An MRI scan showed that I had a large infection in my left leg, but this obviously couldn’t identify exactly what the infection was.
Everything changed when one surgeon came to assess me around 10pm one evening early December. This surgeon was called Mr Christie Swaminathan, and it turns out he was the person that saved my life.
Mr Swaminathan (pictured above) identified this illness as what he believed to be an extremely rare and very serious infection – necrotising fasciitis.
Mr Swaminathan was clear but very factual. I was under no doubt this was life threatening, and that I had to undergo emergency surgery to remove the infected tissue from my leg.
“When? In the morning?” was my question.
“No, as soon as the current patient in theatre comes out. This cannot wait until the morning – we are against the clock now” was his reply.
It was so serious that I was operated in the early hours that night. I was told that it was likely I would need several operations over the next few days – each removing more tissue from my leg until the infection was fully removed.
I was taken to theatre, where I was told I may wake up in intensive care if the operation didn’t go as hoped. Terrifying.
The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I was told the operation appeared to have gone well.
I tried to move my left leg tentatively – I felt no pain due to the strong pain relief medication still being present throughout my body, and I could move and lift my leg for the first time in days.
I cried with happiness. I knew I had a long way to recovery, but it appeared my life was saved.
The next day the pain was back and partly managed with pain relief, but it couldn’t fully control the post operation pain. I could still move my left leg, but it was weak and I couldn’t weight bear.
I was connected with a tube to a suction machine, drawing fluids off the wound 24/7 to keep it dry and sterile. Daily dressing changes were so painful when changed by staff due to the location of the wound, and peeling off the wound which had to be kept wide open, in case further operations were needed, to remove more tissue from my leg.
The next couple of weeks in hospital I underwent various processes including physiotherapy.
I would exercise to try and get strength back in my leg. I couldn’t walk to the toilet – all the things you take for granted.
I was discharged home finally on 16th December 2021, with a portable suction machine and tubing connected to me 24/7 for the next two months. Daily visits to home from nurses for assessment and dressing changes continued, with great support from Daniel.
A month or so later I got a letter from the hospital and the infection was confirmed as having been necrotising fasciitis after being tested in the hospital laboratory.
But, being connected to the machine and unable to move much didn’t matter at all – I was alive. I have survived necrotising fasciitis. I was a survivor – unlike sadly a number of other people I have read about since researching this lethal infection more.
Should I have gone to hospital or sought advice sooner? Yes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I would never want to waste anyone’s time, especially not our wonderful NHS staff.
Had Covid never existed, I dare say I would have also sought advice sooner.
On Tuesday 24th January 2023 I met Mr Christie Swaminathan for a (just over) one year follow up. I immediately recognised him; I thanked him for saving my life and cried. It bought it all back.
Interestingly, I was told that my hospital had only seen two further cases of necrotising fasciitis since my admission 13 months earlier – it really is rare.
I have now been fully discharged from the hospital system and am back to normal (as normal as I get anyway!), with a scar as a daily remind me of what happened.
I hope you found this insight into my experience of necrotising fasciitis and my experience useful and insightful. Please do share – the more people that read this the better. Please do also click here to learn more about NHS advice around symptoms, treatments, and the outlook on this infection”.
The symptoms of necrotising fasciitis develop quickly over hours or days.
They may not be obvious at first and can be similar to less serious conditions, such as flu, gastroenteritis or cellulitis.
Early symptoms can include:
If left untreated, the necrotising fasciitis infection can spread quickly through the body and cause symptoms such as dizziness, weakness and confusion.
If in doubt, please seek emergency medical advice at this stage – please don’t delay!
Necrotising fasciitis is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.
Go to your nearest A&E department as soon as possible if you think you have it.
Call 999 for an ambulance if you're too unwell to get yourself to A&E.
The Lee Spark necrotising fasciitis foundation was established in 2000 by Doreen Cartledge following the loss of her son to necrotising fasciitis.
Click here to visit the Lee Spark Foundation website
You can click here to return to our website home page.
