…for our patients, staff and visitors to our hospital sites. So make sure you ask the the right questions.
All too often we are seeing exaggerated claims being made by manufacturers and suppliers of disinfection equipment that is designed to reduce the risk of environmental infections. When in fact the equipment is not capable of producing a realistic clean of the environment thus leaving the room at a high risk of re-infection while staff believe that they have carried out a comprehensive & successful treatment!
There is already substantial evidence emerging where re-infection of rooms with Clostridium Difficile has occurred within a very short time of cleaning taking place. For example, if a product that claims a 4-log (99.99%) reduction in CFUs only achieves a 1 or 2 log reduction, that means that the contamination will very quickly reoccur in a room that is supposedly clean!
Always seek independent advice when needing to validate the claims being made about a specific piece of equipment. For example you will often see glossy promotional product literature claiming that the product has been tested in a laboratory and that it achieves a high pass rate, don’t be fooled, these tests are designed to make sure that the product will achieve a pass in a manipulated laboratory environment. Ask if you can carry out your own testing, using your own microbiologists or getting your government laboratory to carry out a completely independent evaluation of the equipment.
In the United Kingdom we have an excellent facility which is part of the Government’s Health & Safety Executive, with a modern laboratory based in Derbyshire.
At the HSE laboratory they have a team of experienced scientists who regularly test equipment, mainly for manufacturers who are keen to have that level of scrutiny for their products. With a mock up hospital room test chamber, the team will put UVC, Hydrogen Peroxide Fogging Generators or other types of cleaning equipment through its paces. The team can also carry out testing on disinfectants and sanitisers and provide accurate results that will stand up to scrutiny.
Every member of NHS staff who is involved in the purchasing process of cleaning equipment has a moral duty to look further than the claims being made by the supplier of the equipment.
As a reputable, conscientious supplier we make sure that all of the equipment that we use in our Rapid Response Decontamination Service and all of the disinfection equipment that we supply to our clients has been independently evaluated. This gives peace of mind to our clients and helps them make the right decisions when it comes to calling for our services or purchasing from our comprehensive range of equipment.
Thanks to Oliver Canty CEO at IC Solutions 24/7 Limited for sharing his insight with Hospital Hub.
