Vernacare director Lesley Webster (left) and CEO Karen Haslam were congratulated by the Queen at a recent celebration event for 2011 Queen’s Award for Enterprise winners at Buckingham Palace, with the company’s Award (HEJ – June 2011) recognising its development of “the world’s first detergent-proof disposable wash bowl”.
The single-use pulp bowl was developed with NHS clinicians’ help, after infection prevention nurses identified that re-using plastic wash bowls without properly cleaning and drying was a significant infection risk. It is used by over a third of NHS hospitals, and healthcare facilities worldwide, for hand washing, general surface cleaning, wound care, shaving, continence, and patient care. Karen Haslam said: “We were honoured to meet the Queen, and proud to tell her that our wash bowl is at the forefront of the global drive to combat hospital-acquired infections. The celebrations will continue this autumn when the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire visits us to formally present the award and congratulate all those involved.” Vernacare’s R&D and production teams spent two years creating the “unique” detergent-resistant pulp formula.
