Member Article

Royal Bolton Hospital selects Vernacare infection prevention technology

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has selected Vernacare infection prevention technology to ensure effective, hygienic disposal of single-use toileting and washing products.

Vernacare’s fibre moulded bedpans, urinals, wash bowls and other products are already used across Royal Bolton Hospital. Now, ageing disposal machines have been replaced with Vernacare’s Vortex technology, which disintegrates and flushes away the disposable products and human waste to reduce the risk of cross infection.

The Vortex is the only disposal unit on the market that has a closed-drum system, which ensures that only a fine waste water slurry is discharged to the drains. In combination with an override switch and unique twin blade maceration, this eliminates the risk of blockages from wipes, gloves, or large particles that might have mistakenly been placed in the machine.

John Ashworth, Maintenance Estates Officer for Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Vortex machines are very reliable and we’ve had fewer call-outs to deal with breakdowns. The machines are in constant use so regular machine care is important. Vernacare has trained our team on the basics of maintenance . They’ve also provided a fault-finding book, which is very useful. This means we can sort out most issues ourselves.”

He continued: “If anything does go wrong with the Vortex machines, it’s usually due to misuse and on the rare occasion that our team can’t sort out the problem, we get very fast service from Vernacare’s engineers. The machines look very smart and they’re very easy to use. Once the lid closes, the cycle starts automatically so it couldn’t get much easier.”

The Vortex technology has been designed for easy maintenance, with a self-diagnosing LCD screen and manual emptying override. Independent tests have shown that the Vortex discharges waste water more rapidly than alternative machines, with substantially lower and less variable solids content, which assists with drainage flow. The system uses a 24 litre cold water cycle, which reduces energy costs as well as environmental impact.

The Vortex’s hands-free lid opening mechanism reduces the risk of cross infection during the process of handling patient waste. The system also includes an anti-bacterial deodoriser, which automatically cleans and disinfects inside the machine at the end of each cycle.

The Vortex is manufactured to ISO EN 9001:2008 standards at Vernacare’s global production site in Bolton, UK, where the company’s fibre moulded infection prevention products are also produced. The Vortex is tested to ensure compliance with CE and BS requirements and is also independently tested for compliance to PAS 029, including stringent five-stage testing to ensure 100% effective breakdown of disposable products for effective discharge via the drains.

Vernacare has a national team of experienced engineers, providing rapid-response maintenance and servicing across the UK. It is the only company worldwide to manufacture a complete single-use human waste disposal system and has been the global market leader for more than 50 years. The system is proven to help reduce the risk of cross infection and improve environmental performance, while saving nursing time and generating cost savings.

For more information: www.vernacare.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vernacare .