Patients in Nottingham are the UK’s first to benefit from a new range of textiles with “proven protection” against healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).
Wards at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s two hospitals have been fitted with bed and window curtains from Whitaker Services’ Microshield range. The installation covers around 1,660 beds at both the City Hospital campus and the Queen’s Medical Centre campus and was supported by the Nottingham University Hospitals Charity. Whitaker says research shows 40% of bacteria present within a hospital ward are found on textiles such as ward curtains, bedding and uniforms. Microshield curtains are treated with anti-microbial treatment Cliniweave, “proven to be effective against many HCAIs”, including MRSA, C. difficile and E. coli. Tests at Imperial College London over a three-year period reportedly “proved conclusively” that Cliniweave is “over 1,000 times more effective against HCAIs than other anti-bacterial treatments”.
