Case study
Efficient scope reprocessing at Pinderfields
A state-of-the-art centralised decontamination centre at Pinderfields Hospital is providing safe and efficient endoscope reprocessing for the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, using an end-to-end solution from Wassenburg Medical. The Clinical Services Journal provides an insight into the phased project and looks at how the central hub has evolved.
The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust comprises Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, the Pontefract General Hospital and Dewsbury District Hospital. All three hospitals use Wassenburg endoscope reprocessing technologies to keep their patients safe and to minimise the risk of infection transmission. However, in 2019, a project specification
was issued by NHS Supply Chain to install new decontamination equipment. Pinderfields had experienced a failure of its water treatment plant, which supplied the endoscope reprocessing department. The heating element for the hot water had disintegrated, sending particulates throughout the RO pipe work, so reprocessing of scopes at the hospital was brought to a sudden halt. “The Trust, which takes safety extremely seriously, took the difficult decision to shut down production,” explained James Doherty,
regional sales manager for Wassenburg. While the specification went out to tender,
the Trust installed a mobile decontamination unit, to enable services to minimise disruption to the department or patients and removing the need to use external decontamination services. “As Wassenburg had been a partner with
the Trust since 2010, the company already had a proven track record, and we successfully secured the tender to provide the endoscope washer disinfectors for the new central unit. Our engineers and technicians had been regular visitors at the site, so they knew our equipment and the way we operated, which was a key factor in the decision to award the contract. As the end users were familiar with the machines, no additional training would be required and they were confident in the reliability and support that would be provided,” Doherty commented. In the meantime, Wassenburg Medical went
above and beyond to try and help the Trust overcome the issues it was experiencing with its pipework. “Our engineers stripped the existing
machines down, took all the hoses out and replaced just about every component you could possibly replace. We left no stone unturned. However, the problem was ultimately with the water supply and a decision was made by the Trust to tackle the facilities problem head-on by investing in a new central decontamination hub,” explained Doherty. The central decontamination unit would
initially reprocess scopes for Pinderfields, then accept work from Pontefract and Dewsbury. The endoscope reprocessing service would be managed by the Trust’s central sterile services team, as opposed to the endoscopy department, ensuring the highest possible standards of decontamination expertise. “We needed to have a useable decontamination unit that would allow free movement of scopes across the Trust, that would work efficiently for the three sites – the ultimate centralised unit was the end game,” commented Alison Osler, decontamination manager, Pinderfields Hospital. In 2019, the contract was awarded to
Wassenburg Medical to install four WD440 PT Endoscope Washer-Disinfectors (EWDs) and a drying solution. As work from Dewsbury came on stream, a subsequent two EWD machines were installed in 2020, bringing the total to six.
The solution Designed for controlled cleaning and disinfection of flexible endoscopes and other thermolabile medical devices, the Wassenburg passthrough EWDs provide the highest control and safety levels through an optimised workflow. Designed for maximum efficiency, the twin chamber machines enable two scopes to be processed simultaneously, providing double the throughput – an added benefit for the Trust,
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I April 2023
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