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Scolmore helps with infection control at new hospital unit

Opened earlier this year, the newly expanded Same Day Emergency Care Unit at Conquest Hospital in St Leonards is providing vital same day emergency care for patients who don't require an overnight stay in hospital. Products from Scolmore's Mode range of white moulded, antimicrobial wiring accessories, and the accompanying GridPro plates and modules range were chosen to provide the solution for this sensitive install project.

Infection control is one of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare sector.  Concern regarding cleanliness and healthcare associated infections (HCAI) continues to get headlines in the media, with the result that anyone operating within and supplying to this sector, is required to work with products that meet the demands for hygiene and safety, and that includes electrical products.

Switch plates, such as light switches, dimmers and sockets have one of the highest touch rates in any environment, so are likely to hold a significant number of microbes on their surfaces.  Regular cleaning is essential but not always sufficient.  By using products that inhibit bacterial and fungal organisms, it is possible to help prevent the spread of superbugs. 

Scolmore’s white moulded and Mode Part M wiring accessories are manufactured using Urea Formaldehyde, which has similar inherent properties to antimicrobial additives that inhibit the growth of infectious diseases. All products independently tested achieved a 99.99% kill off rate across all four types of the strains of bacteria – MRSA, E-Coli, Salmonella and Klebsiella Pneumonia.

Responsible for specifying the Mode and GridPro products for the hospital unit was Mark Sellens, electrical project manager at electrical contracting firm, Booker & Best Ltd.  A time-served electrician, with more than 30 years’ experience within the electrical installation industry, Mark commented:  “The Mode range really was an obvious choice on a number of levels that were important for this particular project.  It is a great quality range and represents very good value, which is essential in helping to meet budget commitments and it comes with a 20 year guarantee which is pretty unique in the industry.  It also scored highly from an infection control point of view, with its antimicrobial properties.  Plus its smooth profile means there is a reduced risk of germs being harboured.

“The electricians on site were very impressed with the GridPro range used for the lighting controls.  They found the yokeless design of the GridPro plates particularly great to work with.  Unique to GridPro is the screw attachment feature, which means that no yoke is required for any modules when using 1-4 gang plates - the modules can be simply screwed directly on to the plates.  With some products on the market requiring yokes to be purchased as separate components, this will have implications when considering overall costs and labour requirements.  So that was another particularly important consideration for this project.”

The unit at the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust hospital has been expanded into a much larger, dedicated area and now has eight patient treatment cubicles and three treatment rooms for assessments and procedures.  It provides safe care designed around the needs of patients, providing them with a better experience and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.