COMMENT COVER STORY Advertising feature


Innovative infection control from the washroom experts


There are many reasons why Armitage Shanks is the market-leader in supplying washroom products for the healthcare sector, the company explains. It said: “Key is the brand’s unique, extensive expertise around infection control. Today, as our NHS still grapples with the impact of the pandemic, our unrivalled knowledge and heritage in science-led design are more sought after than ever.” By working extensively with universities and independent infection control experts, the brand has evolved its healthcare offering, creating ‘an innovative portfolio of hygiene-focused products’. Two stand-out examples are the Contour 21+ and the Markwik 21+ ranges – both featuring ‘a host of pioneering benefits which support better infection control and safer water systems’. The Contour 21+ washbasin is reportedly one of the market’s most advanced healthcare solutions, and the result of years of scientific research. Armitage Shanks said: “The washbasin is proven to reduce splashing by up to 90% compared with a traditional basin - via a unique ceramic fin which diverts the course of water once it hits the basin, resulting in much better drainage. Considering how many millions of bacteria can find themselves in droplets splashed from basins, the benefits for clinical environments become clear.” Armitage Shanks’ ‘innovative antimicrobial glaze’, SmartGuard, is also built into Contour 21+, offering further protection against the spread of bacteria. Containing ionic silver, the glaze is ‘proven to inhibit the growth of germs’. Contour 21+ WCs also support better infection control, featuring improved flushing performance, a


IHEEM


April 2022 Volume 76 Number 4 www.iheem.org.uk


JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING AND ESTATE MANAGEMENT


‘Drive-in’ surgeries piloted


‘Drive-in’ surgeries piloted Rapid response to generator issue


48510 Armitage Shanks Healthcare Advertising A4 Concpets_HEJ Cover2_v8.indd 1


Indirect emissions key in Net Zero journey www.healthestatejournal.com FC HEJ Apr22 LATEST.indd 3


48510 Armitage Shanks Healthcare Advertising A4 Concpets_HEJ Cover2_v8.indd 1


One of the pandemic’s major impacts has been that with the risk of infection, many GP appointments have been conducted via videocall or telephone. With the NHS striving to meet demanding Net Zero targets, one clear ‘environmental’ positive of this shiſt has been a significant reduction in journeys to surgeries, and indeed many practices have become used to operating this way. On the downside – from a patient standpoint – have been difficulties in getting appointments, and a widespread preference for seeing a doctor face-to-face. In the future, however, growing use of remote consultation, supported by increasing take- up of telehealth, seem almost inevitable, with significant potential implications for the built estate. Looking at other imaginative options, and


21/03/2022 16:03 21/03/2022 16:03 23/03/2022 11:43


rimless design, and hygienic surfaces coated in SmartGuard.


Meanwhile, the Markwik 21+ panel- mounted thermostatic mixer offers the same high level of protection against bacteria build-up. Its small bore antimicrobial pipes minimise ‘deadleg’ areas of warm water, and increase the force of water, helping reduce biofilm build-up. The range, made of 85% brass, can be fully dismantled for disinfection, with components designed to withstand high temperatures and autoclaving. None of these innovations in product design could happen without regular discussions with those on the frontlines of infection control, and conducting in-depth research in this area. Looking Deeper Journal aims to capture and share these conversations, so healthcare specifiers and clinical decision-makers can make more informed decisions. The 11th edition is free to download from the Armitage Shanks website, and is also distributed in this month’s HEJ. For more information about healthcare ranges offered by Armitage Shanks, or to subscribe to Looking Deeper Journal, visit www.idealspec.co.uk/sectors/ hospitals_s3_c1.html.


Armitage Shanks Ideal Standard (UK) Ltd Old Road Armitage Rugeley


Staffordshire WS15 4BT T: 01543 413204


www.idealspec.co.uk/contact-us.html


in an interesting article on pages 23-27, the authors ask – given how well-established ‘drive-in’ fast food and ‘drive-in’ films now are – ‘What about a new generation of ‘drive-in’ GP clinics, ‘deployable in weeks’? In the article, the developers of a ‘pop-up’ clinic explain how – having drawn on sophisticated computer modelling, and even a Formula 1-inspired ‘pit-stop design’, to arrive at the optimal configuration – they successfully piloted such a unit at an industrial estate in Aston. Tis exercise – the proponents say such clinics could potentially see 500 patients per day – followed their successful deployment of a rapid assessment centre using pods and tents in the car park next to the Nightingale Hospital at Birmingham’s NEC. Notable positives of the ‘pop-up’ facility included not having to turn away contagious patients – since they could be seen by a nurse in their car, and making consultations easier and more accessible for those with reduced mobility, ‘with no more sitting uncomfortably in a silent waiting room at the surgery, and no more access problems from car to chair to couch to chair to car (to chair to home again) for those with mobility problems.’ In the piece, the authors explain both the rationale behind the ‘drive-through’ clinic, and how they used ‘Agile’ – ‘a flexible, customer-focused approach that emerged from soſtware engineering’, to develop it’. Tey also look at ‘what comes next’. A fascinating concept – which they say could not only be used for GP appointments, but also for diagnostics, minor procedures, and to support those with long- term conditions.


Jonathan Baillie,


Editor jonathanbaillie@ stepcomms.com


April 2022 Health Estate Journal 5


health estate journal


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68