INFECTION CONTROL
Cost-effective ways to keep air and surfaces clean
Maintaining stringent infection control in hospitals, care homes, and other healthcare facilities, is clearly a high priority at all times for all those whose work entails accommodating, treating, and caring for, patients, but in the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic having rendered many thousands unwell, and contributed to the death of over 125,000 people in the UK alone, preventing bacteria and viruses spreading has assumed even greater importance. Here, Paul Ashton, UK Hospital Sales director at sluice room product specialist, DDC Dolphin, focuses on two recent product developments from the company which aim to simplify the task for estates, clinical, infection control, and other personnel.
DDC Dolphin is already well- known in infection prevention and control circles for its high quality range of sluice room machinery, including medical pulp macerators, bedpan washer-disinfectors, and incontinence product macerators. However, with the ever higher focus on infection prevention over the past 12 months, we have also been keen to promote our range of UVMATIC and UVMATIC Plus advanced air purification systems, which utilise a combination of UV and ozone technology to destroy bacteria in air. The former is designed for mains operation, with flexible mounting options, while the latter is a portable device, which is light and easy to carry, and can be used either for one-off cleaning, or as part of a regular maintenance regime. We have also seen an enthusiastic response to our HYGENEX Recoat antimicrobial coating system, which is designed for application to a wide range of commonly touched surfaces, such as door handles and touchscreens, can be applied to almost all substrates, and has been tested against a range of bacteria and viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, and proven to inhibit their growth, and, where they are present, to eliminate them.
Multi-technology air purifiers Taking the UVMATIC and UVAMTIC Plus air purifying systems first, and both harness a combination of photoplasma, ozone, and negative ion technology, to destroy viruses such as influenza, as well as bacteria including E. coli, and
62 Health Estate Journal April 2021
Plus portable system combine UV and ozone technology, and are proven to kill both a range of viruses and bacteria, and to effectively remove unpleasant smells. They are cost-effective, use less energy than a normal light bulb, and the UVMATIC, for example, can be wall- mounted and left running ‘24/7’. All that is required maintenance-wise is an annual service for bulb change.
Automated and chemical-free
Completely automated and chemical-free, the UVMATIC draws in the polluted air and treats it using UV light and catalytic oxidation – in the process producing three powerful bacteria-destroying and odour-fighting ingredients: n Photoplasma – which eliminates bacteria, viruses, mould, and other microorganisms.
n Ozone – a highly reactive and energised oxygen, which disinfects the air.
DDC Dolphin’s new Eco+ Medical Pulp Macerator, described by it as ‘the most hygienic such machine on the market’, features antimicrobial properties in the lid, front panels, and screen.
Salmonella, while simultaneously removing unpleasant smells in areas such as sluice rooms, washrooms, and corridors. While most household air purifiers use a basic filter system to capture particles and pollutants in the air, they are not sufficiently technically advanced to cope with infections; indeed even the widely used High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) systems still rely on a filter which doesn’t kill bacteria. In contrast, air purifiers like the UVMATIC and UVMATIC
n Negative ions – which increase the efficiency of the process, removing airborne impurities and dust.
Low-energy, long-life lamp Each UVMATIC unit is powered by a single specialist, high quality, low-energy 16 W lamp, which should provide 9,000 hours of use. During the annual service, the lamp can be replaced, and the system’s fan checked. We believe the UVMATIC is the perfect solution for eliminating odour and reducing harmful bacteria on hard surfaces. Using the same combination of technologies, but in a compact portable
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