The East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust has invested £100,000 in specialist hydrogen peroxide vaporisation equipment to use in a “general spring clean” and help combat a Clostridium difficile outbreak at its Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The Trust said it had established that three deaths had been directly related to the infection, with C. difficile a contributory factor to a further 10. Six wards had seen cases so far. As part of its fight against the infection (alongside establishing an isolation unit) the Trust bought six Biosecurity HPV robots (see photo) from Alton-based Hygienics Biosecurity in February for ward decontamination. Operated remotely from outside the ward, they cover every surface with a hydrogen peroxide vapour to eradicate any C. difficile spores. The Trust said the robots would ensure its housekeeping teams could immediately decontaminate any area required, significantly reducing the time clinical areas had to be closed. Trust director of infection prevention and control Dr Barry Phillips said: “The spores associated with C. difficile can survive in the environment, and are resistant to many disinfecting agents. The vaporisation system we have purchased is very effective in killing them.”
