The quest by Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital to standardise all its macerators has seen it select Vernacare’s Vortex. The hospital has over 1,000 beds, and had been using three different macerator types, which had become old and at risk of breaking down.
When the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust decided to replace them, the Vortex was chosen. David Horn, engineering officer at FM company, Carillion, who selected the system, said: “The use of pulp and macerators is very important in helping combat infection rates, and the Vernacare Vortex meets all the requirements, particularly on infection control. It is reliable, easy to use, and I have had no complaints from the staff, so it is definitely doing its job efficiently. “We cannot afford the risk of possible infection caused by bagging up pulp waste and holding it in the sluice rooms, or the additional cost entailed.” Alongside being a hygienic system, the Vortex has an innovative twin blade design which breaks down the pulp into a fine watery slurry, helping to avoid drain blockages. It also reportedly consumes ‘minimal water and energy’.
