What does Optus Glean charge per hour?

We do not. Commercial and contract cleaning is delivered to a defined scope on a fixed monthly fee, paid by Direct Debit, with an annual indexed review. Per-hour pricing is for ad-hoc and domestic work, neither of which we do. The fixed monthly fee covers the named primary cleaner, the named relief, all consumables where contracted, all equipment, and the management overhead of running the contract.

What happens if Optus Glean's cleaner is sick?

The named relief is deployed and the site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence. The relief is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the site's colour-coded system and IPC standard, so the standard of clean does not change. Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the buyer's risk to absorb.

How is the fixed monthly fee set?

The fee is set against a defined scope of work — frequency, areas, tasks, consumables, equipment — agreed at contract signature and documented in the service specification. The fee is reviewed once a year against the Consumer Price Index and the Contract Cleaning ERO rate movement, with any change communicated 60 days in advance of the review date. There are no in-year variations unless the scope itself changes.

Why are cleaning services in Dublin so inconsistent?

It is a workforce-design problem rather than an effort problem. Most operatives in the sector are part-time or casual, and many also hold healthcare assistant shifts in nursing homes and acute care. When a care shift is offered, the cleaning shift is dropped. Optus Glean removes that dynamic by employing operatives PAYE on guaranteed hours, so the cleaning role is not the secondary income.

How does Optus Glean stop cleaners disappearing for healthcare shifts?

We make the cleaning role the better work. Pay is set above the Contract Cleaning ERO floor (€14.80 per hour, 2026). Hours are guaranteed and rostered weeks in advance. Annual leave is paid. Pension contributions are made. The cleaner has no incentive to substitute a less predictable casual healthcare shift.

Why are some commercial cleaning quotes for Dublin so much cheaper than others?

Quotes for the same scope range from around €750-1,100 per month at the lower end to €1,500-1,700 per month at the upper end. The differential is almost entirely driven by employment model. Lower quotes assume a casual workforce where the provider carries no employment risk and passes service-continuity risk to the buyer. Higher quotes assume a PAYE workforce where the provider absorbs that risk.

Is the ERO rate a minimum or a market rate in Dublin?

The Contract Cleaning ERO rate of €14.80 per hour is a statutory minimum set under the Labour Court's Sectoral Employment Order. It is a floor, not a ceiling. Providers who pay at the floor are competing for staff with adjacent care-sector roles paying €15-€17 per hour, which is why retention is poor across the lower end of the market.

What evidence is there that this workforce pattern is real?

It is visible in CSO Labour Force Survey data on multi-jobbing in accommodation, administrative support, and human health and social work activities, and in the Workplace Relations Commission's enforcement record under the Contract Cleaning ERO. Practice managers confirm it experientially: the same operative who cleans the practice on Monday is on a healthcare assistant rota at a nearby nursing home on Wednesday.

What happens if my cleaner is sick or on leave?

The named relief is deployed. The site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of an unplanned absence, or at the start of the leave period for a planned absence. The relief is already vetted, inducted on the site, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard as the primary cleaner. The task list, the equipment, and the time window do not change. The clean is delivered to the same standard.

Will I get a different cleaner every week?

No. The model is a named primary cleaner with a named relief, both fixed to the site for the duration of the contract. The relief only attends when the primary is genuinely unavailable — sick day, annual leave, training day — and it is the same named relief each time, not a rotating pool. Long-term continuity of the same two people on a site is what makes the standard of clean stable.

How does Optus Glean handle long-term cover?

For absences longer than two weeks, cover is drawn from the wider Optus Glean trained bench. Every operative on the bench is PAYE-employed, Garda-vetted, and trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard, so continuity of standard is preserved. The buyer is informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration at the point the long-term absence is identified.

What happens if my primary cleaner leaves Optus Glean?

The relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable. A new relief is recruited, vetted, inducted on the site, trained on the colour-coded system and IPC standard, and introduced to the buyer before the handover takes effect. There is no scenario in which the buyer discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed. Continuity is engineered, not improvised.

Healthcare Cleaning Dublin | HIQA-aligned Hospital Cleaning Dublin

€6.5M Public Liability

€13M Employer's Liability

Garda Vetted Staff

24/7 Emergency Response

HIQA Audit-Ready

The Optus Glean promise: predictability

Three pillars. Three commitments. No exceptions.

Predictable cost. One fixed monthly fee, set against a defined scope and an annual indexed review. No variable hours. No surprise invoices. No padded callout charges. Budgeted once, paid by Direct Debit, reviewed once a year.

Predictable presence. The site is cleaned every day it is meant to be cleaned. A named primary cleaner is rostered to your contract, supported by a named relief who is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard. The schedule does not depend on whether one person is available on one day.

Predictable freedom. A single point of accountability. One contract. One named manager. One number to call. Cleaning is no longer a problem the Practice has to manage — it is a service that runs.

Why cleaning in Dublin is structurally hard to get right

Most cleaning provision in Ireland — including in healthcare-adjacent settings — is delivered by a workforce that is structurally part-time and casual. A significant proportion of operatives across the sector also work as healthcare assistants in nursing homes, residential care, and acute hospitals. Cleaning shifts are typically taken when healthcare shifts are not available, and released when they are. This pattern is consistent with CSO labour data on accommodation, food, and administrative-support employment, and it is the underlying reason that buyers across Ireland encounter inconsistency from agencies they have contracted in good faith.

The pattern is reinforced by two background pressures specific to Dublin. Housing affordability limits the catchment for any role paying at or near the minimum wage. The Contract Cleaning Employment Regulation Order rate of €14.80 per hour for 2026, set under the Labour Court's sectoral employment framework, sits close enough to flexible care-sector pay that operatives drift toward whichever shift pays slightly more on the day. Both pressures pull cleaning staff away from contracted shifts and toward casual healthcare work.

The result, from the buyer's perspective, is the experience most practice managers, facilities leads, and procurement officers in Dublin describe: a clean that is half-completed when the contracted cleaner is available, missed entirely when they are not, and accompanied by recurring conversations with the agency about cover that may or may not arrive.

This is the structural problem Optus Glean is built to solve. Our operatives are fully PAYE-employed with guaranteed weekly hours, paid leave, and pension contributions under Irish auto-enrolment. They are paid above the ERO floor deliberately — because the structural reliability of the service depends on the cleaner choosing to remain in the role rather than rotating through casual healthcare shifts. A named primary cleaner is assigned to your site, supported by a named relief, both Garda-vetted and trained to Optus Glean's documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard.

Healthcare Cleaning Services Across Dublin

Dublin has the highest concentration of healthcare facilities in Ireland. The city and county are home to major acute hospitals, hundreds of GP surgeries, dental practices, physiotherapy clinics, nursing homes, and private hospitals. Every one of these facilities must meet the infection prevention and control (IPC) standards set by HIQA — the Health Information and Quality Authority. Cleaning is not just a cosmetic concern in healthcare; it is a critical component of patient safety and infection control.

Optus Glean provides specialist healthcare cleaning across all of County Dublin. Our healthcare cleaning operatives are trained in HIQA IPC protocols, use colour-coded equipment systems, and maintain audit-ready documentation at every site. We understand the difference between cleaning a GP waiting room and decontaminating an isolation room — and we have the trained staff, equipment, and systems to deliver both to the highest standard.

Dublin Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities We Serve

Dublin's major hospitals generate enormous demand for specialist cleaning services. Each facility has unique requirements based on its patient population, clinical specialties, and physical layout:

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Located on Eccles Street in Dublin 7, the Mater is one of Ireland's largest acute hospitals with over 600 beds. The hospital covers emergency medicine, surgery, oncology, cardiology, and critical care. Healthcare cleaning at the Mater requires 24/7 coverage across wards, theatres, outpatient departments, emergency department, and public areas. The cleaning specification must meet HSE National Cleaning Standards and HIQA IPC requirements.

St James's Hospital

Ireland's largest hospital, St James's on James's Street in Dublin 8, has over 1,000 beds and is the national centre for haematology, oncology, and organ transplantation. The hospital campus is vast, covering over 48 acres with multiple buildings of different ages and configurations. Healthcare cleaning at St James's demands specialist knowledge of oncology cleaning protocols, isolation room procedures, and high-dependency unit requirements.

Beaumont Hospital

Beaumont on Beaumont Road in Dublin 9 is the national referral centre for neurosurgery and renal transplantation. The hospital has over 800 beds and a busy emergency department. Cleaning requirements include specialist protocols for neurosurgical wards, dialysis units, and the National Virus Reference Laboratory.

Tallaght University Hospital

Formerly Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital serves south-west Dublin with over 600 beds. The hospital's relatively modern building (opened 1998) has different cleaning requirements from older Dublin hospitals — more open-plan ward layouts, better ventilation, and contemporary finishes. Healthcare cleaning at Tallaght covers the emergency department, maternity unit, paediatric ward, and all surgical and medical wards.

St Vincent's University Hospital

Located in Elm Park, Dublin 4, St Vincent's is the national centre for liver transplantation and a major teaching hospital. The campus includes the main hospital, the private St Vincent's Private Hospital, and the National Maternity Hospital (Holles Street is relocating here). Healthcare cleaning must meet the highest IPC standards across all clinical areas.

The Rotunda Hospital

Ireland's oldest maternity hospital, on Parnell Square in Dublin 1, requires specialist cleaning protocols for labour wards, neonatal intensive care, postnatal wards, and theatres. Maternity cleaning demands meticulous attention to infection control — neonates are among the most vulnerable patients to healthcare-associated infections.

National Children's Hospital

The new National Children's Hospital at St James's campus (previously Children's Health Ireland at Connolly, Crumlin, and Temple Street) will be Ireland's largest paediatric facility. Cleaning in paediatric environments requires child-safe products, enhanced hygiene protocols, and staff with specific training in paediatric infection control.

GP Surgery Cleaning in Dublin

Dublin has over 800 GP surgeries, from single-practitioner clinics to large primary care centres housing multiple GPs, practice nurses, phlebotomists, and allied health professionals. Major primary care centres in Dublin include:

Smithfield Primary Care Centre — multi-GP practice with diagnostic facilities
Ballymun Primary Care Centre — integrated health and social care services
Tallaght Primary Care Centre — large multi-disciplinary facility
Dun Laoghaire Primary Care Centre — GP, nursing, and community health services
Swords Primary Care Centre — north Dublin's largest primary care facility

Optus Glean provides daily cleaning for GP surgeries across Dublin. Our service covers waiting rooms, consulting rooms, treatment rooms, washrooms, reception areas, and staff areas. All cleaning follows HIQA IPC standards with colour-coded equipment, documented cleaning schedules, and trained operatives. We typically clean GP surgeries in the evening after the last patient has left, with the premises ready for the next morning's surgery.

Dental Practice Cleaning in Dublin

Dublin has over 500 dental practices ranging from single-chair clinics to multi-surgery dental centres. Dental cleaning requires particular attention to surgery areas where aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) create contamination risks. Optus Glean's dental cleaning protocol includes enhanced surface decontamination of dental chairs, suction units, spittoons, and all surfaces within the splash zone. We use hospital-grade disinfectants effective against the full spectrum of dental pathogens including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

The HIQA IPC Standards — What They Mean for Cleaning

HIQA's National Standards for infection prevention and control in community services set out 29 standards that healthcare facilities must meet. Several of these directly relate to environmental cleaning:

Standard 3.1 — The environment is clean and well maintained, and equipment is clean and in good working order
Standard 3.2 — Cleaning processes are defined and documented, with evidence of monitoring and audit
Standard 3.3 — Staff involved in cleaning have received appropriate training in IPC and are competent in their roles
Standard 3.4 — Colour-coded cleaning systems are in place to prevent cross-contamination
Standard 3.5 — Cleaning schedules are clearly displayed and completed records are maintained

Optus Glean maintains full compliance with all 29 HIQA IPC standards at every Dublin healthcare site we clean. Our documentation systems include daily cleaning checklists, weekly deep-clean records, monthly audit reports, and annual training records — all available for HIQA inspection at any time.

The Colour-Coded Cleaning System

Colour coding is a fundamental infection control measure in healthcare cleaning. It prevents cross-contamination by ensuring that equipment used in high-risk areas (such as toilets) is never used in patient care areas. Optus Glean uses the following colour-coded system across all Dublin healthcare sites:

Red — Washrooms, toilets, and sanitary areas only. Red cloths, mops, buckets, and gloves are never used outside washroom areas.
Blue — General areas including wards, corridors, offices, and waiting rooms. Blue equipment is the standard for non-clinical areas.
Green — Kitchen and food preparation areas. Green equipment is reserved exclusively for areas where food is stored, prepared, or consumed.
Yellow — Isolation rooms, clinical areas with enhanced IPC requirements, and areas designated for patients with known or suspected infections. Yellow equipment is used with enhanced PPE protocols.

All colour-coded equipment is stored separately, washed separately, and replaced on a defined schedule. Supervisors audit colour-coded compliance at every site visit.

Healthcare Cleaning Pricing in Dublin

Healthcare cleaning costs more than standard commercial cleaning due to the specialist training, equipment, documentation, and audit requirements. Here are typical Dublin healthcare cleaning prices in 2026:

Facility Type	Typical Monthly Cost
Single GP surgery (3–4 rooms)	€600 – €900
Multi-GP primary care centre	€1,200 – €3,000
Dental practice (2–4 surgeries)	€800 – €1,500
Physiotherapy / allied health clinic	€500 – €1,000
Nursing home (50–100 beds)	€3,000 – €8,000
Hospital department or ward	By contract (site survey required)

fixed monthly fees apply healthcare cleaning in Dublin as a fixed monthly fee per site, reflecting the enhanced training, PPE, and documentation requirements. All pricing is fixed and agreed at contract stage following a detailed site survey.

How Optus Glean handles staff shortages

Every Optus Glean contract is staffed on a redundancy model rather than a single-person model. A named primary cleaner is assigned to the site at contract start. A named relief is assigned alongside them. Both are PAYE-employed by Optus Glean, both are Garda-vetted, both are inducted on the site's specific layout, access protocols, and colour-coded equipment system, and both are trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard. Substitution is built into the contract from the first day, not arranged on the day cover is needed.

Sick day cover. When the primary cleaner is unable to work, the named relief is deployed. The Practice site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence by SMS or email, with the name of the relief who is attending. The relief follows the same task list, uses the same equipment, and finishes within the same window. The standard of clean is unchanged because the relief was prepared for this scenario before the absence happened.

Annual leave cover. Annual leave is rostered weeks in advance and the relief is scheduled to cover the full leave period. The Practice is informed at the start of the leave period — not on the morning leave begins. This is the same model used in clinical rota management: known absences are pre-staffed, not improvised.

Long-term cover. If the primary cleaner is absent for more than two weeks (extended illness, parental leave, bereavement leave), cover is drawn from the wider trained bench rather than relying on the single named relief. The Practice is kept informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration. Continuity of standard is maintained because every operative on the bench is trained to the same documented standard.

Permanent reassignment. If the primary cleaner moves to a new permanent role within Optus Glean — promotion, relocation, retirement — the relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable, a new relief is trained on the site, and both are introduced to the Practice before the handover takes effect. There is no day on which the Practice discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed.

Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the Practice's risk to absorb. The buyer pays a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope to be delivered, every day it is meant to be delivered. The mechanism by which we deliver it — primary, relief, bench, retraining — is our cost to manage and our risk to carry.

Why Dublin Healthcare Facilities Choose Optus Glean

HIQA audit-ready — Our documentation systems are designed to pass HIQA inspection. Daily checklists, weekly records, monthly audits, and annual training records are maintained at every site.
Specialist training — Every healthcare operative completes mandatory IPC training, hand hygiene modules, blood and body fluid spillage management, correct PPE usage, and waste segregation training. All training is documented and refreshed annually.
Colour-coded systems — Full colour-coded equipment at every site, with dedicated storage, separate laundering, and regular replacement schedules.
ATP testing — We use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence testing to verify surface cleanliness. This provides objective, measurable evidence that surfaces meet hygienic standards — far beyond visual inspection alone.
24/7 emergency response — Healthcare facilities operate around the clock, and so do we. Our Dublin emergency team can respond to spillages, contamination events, and urgent cleaning requirements at any time.
Fully insured — €6.5M public liability and €13M employer's liability insurance, with certificates available for your records and HIQA files.

Terminal Cleaning and Decontamination

Terminal cleaning is the enhanced cleaning procedure carried out after a patient is discharged from a room, particularly where the patient had a known or suspected infection. In Dublin's busy hospitals, terminal cleans must be completed quickly and thoroughly to enable bed turnaround. Optus Glean's terminal cleaning protocol follows HSE national guidelines and includes:

Removal and replacement of all curtains and soft furnishings
Cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces from ceiling to floor
Bed frame, mattress, and pillow decontamination
Bathroom deep clean with hospital-grade disinfectant
Touch-point sanitisation (call bells, light switches, door handles, bed controls, TV remotes)
Optional hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) fogging for enhanced decontamination
ATP testing to verify surface cleanliness before the room is released

Frequently asked questions

How much does healthcare cleaning cost in Ireland in 2026?

A GP practice or primary care centre is priced as a fixed monthly fee per site, set against a defined scope (rooms, frequency, IPC standard) and held under a multi-year contract with an annual indexed review. The Contract Cleaning ERO 2026 sets a €14.80/hour floor for the labour component, but reputable providers price the contract, not the hour. Expect a single line on the invoice and a monthly Direct Debit.

What standards apply to healthcare cleaning in Ireland?

HIQA's National Standards for Infection Prevention and Control, the HSE National Cleaning Standards Manual, the HPSC's hand-hygiene guidelines, and S.I. 7 of 2009 on healthcare-associated infection. The Patient Safety Act 2023 has further raised expectations on documented evidence. A compliant cleaning programme produces an audit trail that maps directly to these standards — colour-coded equipment, two-stage cleaning, and validated disinfection contact times.

Why is healthcare cleaning consistency such a problem in Ireland?

Most Irish cleaning provision is delivered by part-time, casual, or self-employed operatives who often also work as healthcare assistants and rotate between cleaning and care shifts. Housing affordability and wage compression in larger urban areas reinforce this pattern. The result is a different person in your practice most days, no continuity on the IPC standard, and a fragile audit trail at HIQA inspection.

What is HIQA-aligned IPC and why does it matter?

HIQA-aligned infection prevention and control means the daily cleaning programme is documented, executed, and evidenced against HIQA's IPC standards and the HSE National Cleaning Standards Manual. In practice that means colour-coded equipment, two-stage detergent-then-disinfectant cleaning of clinical surfaces, validated contact times per the Safety Data Sheet, signed daily checklists, and records that survive an unannounced inspection.

What's the difference between PAYE and casual cleaning contracts in healthcare?

A PAYE-employed cleaner is on payroll, paid above the Contract Cleaning ERO floor, holds a formal contract of employment, has Garda vetting on file, paid leave, and PRSI/pension contributions through the employer. A casual or self-employed operative is none of those things. PAYE staffing is the only model that supports a named primary cleaner and named relief — which is what continuity in a regulated environment actually requires.

How do I evaluate a cleaning provider for a healthcare setting?

Ask three questions. One: are the cleaners PAYE-employed by the company that signs the contract, or subcontracted? Two: who is the named primary cleaner for my site, and who is the named relief? Three: can the provider produce an IPC-aligned audit pack — colour-coded SOP, signed daily checklists, SDS file, Garda vetting register — that maps to HIQA standards on day one of the contract.

What should be in a cleaning contract for a GP practice?

A defined scope per room, frequencies tied to clinical risk, the IPC standard the contract is delivered against (HIQA / HSE National Cleaning Standards Manual), the named primary cleaner and relief, the auditing programme, the chemical regime (with SDS), Garda vetting confirmation, the fixed monthly fee, the annual indexed review mechanism, and a clean exit clause. No per-hour pricing. No ad-hoc top-up charges.

Who handles clinical waste at a GP practice?

Clinical waste, sharps, and pharmaceutical waste are handled by a licensed healthcare-waste contractor under the Waste Management Acts 1996-2023, not by the cleaning provider. The cleaning team's role is environmental cleaning of waste-holding areas, sharps awareness, and immediate reporting of any found sharps to clinical staff. In Dublin, this typically means a separate orange-bag and yellow-sharps collection from a HSE-approved contractor running on a fixed schedule.

Healthcare Cleaning Dublin — HIQA-aligned Clinical Cleaning