The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has ‘partnered’ with mobile medical unit provider, EMS Healthcare, and operating theatre and surgical component, process, and technology specialist, Cantel (UK), to launch what Cantel says is the UK’s largest mobile decontamination unit.
Contracted for two years, the Quad Mobile Decontamination Unit has been introduced at Glenfield General Hospital in Leicester to support theatre and endoscopy reprocessing services while a permanent facility is being built and commissioned. The unit is set to immediately boost reprocessing capacity – by an additional 240 scopes per day: EMS Healthcare says it will ‘provide a reliable stepping-stone to keep services running smoothly without disruption’.
The unit will be the second EMS Healthcare mobile decontamination unit that the Leicester NHS Trust has contracted. The ‘market-first and multi-award-winning’ Quest+ Decontamination arrived at Leicester General Hospital in September 2018, and was contracted for a further two years. Since launch, EMS Healthcare says Quest+ has been ‘central to the continuation of service’, with its on-board equipment ‘providing vital support’ to the hospital’s urology department.
Designed in accordance with JAG guidelines, and comprised of four trailers, the new Quad Mobile Decontamination unit includes eight RapidAER Endoscope Reprocessors (double that of Quest+), a Veolia Water Systems OSIRIS duplex RO system with its own external container, and additional staff facilities. Also included is a Surestore Long Term Storage, TranScope trolleys, two double-bowl, endoscopy grade, height-adjustable sinks, integral RO plant, a track and trace system, and the option to have an endoscope drying cabinet.
Claire Jones-Manning, Trust Decontamination lead at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “We brought one of the first Quest+ units onto the Trust estate last year, and it was fantastic for us, but we soon found we needed more capacity. That’s when we gave EMS Healthcare a call about getting a larger unit; it didn’t have one on its fleet, but redesigned one of its existing units to accommodate our requirements. Quad arrived at Glenfield Hospital a few months later. It’s been brilliant to work with the team, and to have input from the start of the project. EMS Healthcare has been a pleasure to work with, and has really paid attention to all the little details. Quad is also helping out with our JAG accreditation, so we’re really happy.”
Henry Chadwick, director at Chadwick Design and Project Management, advised the Trust on the groundworks required for the unit, and ensured full HTM compliance.
