DECONTAMINATION
Managing the provision of equipment With the new SSD at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust had outlined its vision to process around three-million trays per year – a significant number of washes and sterilisations for any unit to manage. The intention was also for the new facility to provide a regional hub that could support other hospitals – as well as GP practices, podiatrists and other organisations in the future. “We had 800m2
with the modules as
part of the new SSD and this had been carefully designed with throughput capability in mind,” said Mitchell. “Our calculations were designed to help future-proof the department and allow for a 2-3% increase a year in throughput. That is a really important consideration because, although the hospital initially wanted to focus the SSD on supporting their own patients and procedures list, it means if they do expand the hospital in the future or need to offer provision to other healthcare groups, the capabilities are there. We also worked hard to procure all the right equipment to support current demand, as well as the future forecasts. This included some of
our core washer and disinfector products, trolley washers, racks, trolleys, sterilisation equipment and steam generators. “Additionally, we also took responsibility for all associated equipment from tables and chairs to TVs, microwaves and even a modular boiler solution – our goal was to take as much of the stress away from the local estates team as possible and manage as much of the project for them as they needed.” The handover of the department took place on 20 July with an official – albeit socially distanced – ribbon cutting ceremony. However, the roles for both ModuleCo Healthcare and MMM UK did not stop upon completion of the unit. Instead, both providers will continue to work together as part of a managed service contract, which was deemed an essential requirement at the tender stage. “One of the key benefits of a managed
service contract is that it allows NHS Trusts to finance brand new builds without the need for capital outlay,” said Wilson. “It’s a model that we have adopted frequently with other Trusts across the UK because of the flexibility it offers. The SSD at Stoke Mandeville has been structured over a 15-year agreement with all the associated elements incorporated into the monthly
charge over this period. At a time when NHS budgets are stretched, we find that the hire agreement model offers a much more viable option to get spades in the ground quickly to deliver much-needed facilities. “We’ll also maintain regular contact with the estates team at the hospital to ensure everything is running smoothly and one of our dedicated engineers will visit the site quarterly to conduct testing and pre-planned maintenance.”
All of the new equipment provided by MMM UK on site was also wrapped into the hire agreement. “We will have an ongoing role to play on the site and will conduct weekly, quarterly and annual testing, with an expert on site a minimum of three times a week,” added Mitchell “Our partnership with ModuleCo Healthcare means we can play an account management role to strengthen our relationship with the Trust, ensuring we can support them and iron out potential issues very quickly. This may have been the first SSD we’ve worked with ModuleCo Healthcare on but we’re already in discussions about how this model can be replicated for other NHS Trusts as it has been a huge success for all parties.” At the official handover in July, John Abbott, director of surgical and critical care at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, commented: “This project has been quite a remarkable feat of engineering. When Marc Sweeney, head of sterile services, and I saw 16 modules arrive on site in early April 2020, we couldn’t have imagined that just four months later we would have one of the most modern sterile service departments in the NHS. The safety of our patients is of paramount important to us and our new sterile service unit will help us to ensure that we continue to provide the highest levels of safe and compassionate care.”
CSJ OCTOBER 2020
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