January 20, 2025
Donna Gallant has been working at London Health Sciences Centre for almost 20 years and knows the direct impact her work has on patient safety.
Ensuring areas are properly disinfected is just a small part of how she keeps patients safe. Since joining the adolescent mental health unit this year she has become an important part of the team, bringing her vibrant energy to everything she does.
What does a housekeeping employee do in adolescent mental health?
Gallant’s responsibilities include standard cleaning of high-touch surfaces, emptying trash cans and making sure everything is disinfected. However, it’s ensuring any graffiti has been removed, asking the patients’ if she can clean their room and giving them space if they need it that she considers some of the additional ways she impacts patient safety.
“Patient safety is very important to me, not only for the environment to be safe, but for the patients’ overall stay as well,” Gallant explains. A previous member of Sodexo’s Safety Committee, Gallant is very focused on patient safety, not just physical safety but making the experience of a hospital stay feel safe. Gallant is one of the only disciplines entering the patient’s room and engaging in a general conversation, and not taking vitals, confirming their identity or providing direct care.
What does patient safety mean to you?
Gallant sums up what patient safety means to her in one word: Everything.
Having previously worked at University Hospital’s Medicine units during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gallant is acutely aware of how important cleaning and disinfecting a room is for patient safety. She’s also aware of how a smile and simple question of whether the patient is up for having their room cleaned right away or if they’d prefer she come back later can have on the patient.
“I've had a lot of compliments from patients saying that I bring sunshine to the room,” says Gallant. “I think the most rewarding thing is probably just being here and being able to help them. I like to leave things positive for them.”
