Hospital project gets bug-busting baby Bio treatment
Marshall-Tufflex’s Odyssey Bio cable management system, with built-in antimicrobial properties, is helping to prevent infection within the refurbished neonatal unit at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, which treats more than 800 premature and ill babies every year.
Prompted by the need for modernisation and an increasing demand for specialist baby care within the region, the £7m combined refurbishment and new-build project has culminated in a superb new neonatal centre that has increased the hospital’s capacity from 30 to 50 neonatal cots, 20 of which are for intensive care.
Odyssey Bio is a fully curved profile CAT 6 compliant trunking system from cable management expert Marshall-Tufflex. Silver-ion protection is added to Bio’s PVC-U formulation during manufacture, meaning that the bug-busting solution is incorporated within the trunking material. As a result, Odyssey Bio continues to neutralise and kill dangerous bacteria such as MRSA, E-Coli and Salmonella even if the trunking is scratched or knocked.
Its antimicrobial properties are perceived as a huge benefit to the hospital, which is committed to ensuring that its staff, patients and visitors are protected from healthcare associated infection. It also has a dedicated and proactive infection control team. “This type of antimicrobial containment unit is a bonus to us,” said Warren Hubbard, Head of Estates, Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
“It is essential to keep bugs at bay where critically ill babies are concerned and therefore helping us to conquer infection can only be a win/win situation. As a trust we have an excellent record of infection control and are proud that we have not had MRSA for seven years or C. Difficile for five years. Keeping on top of infection control is vital. Odyssey Bio is advantageous as it supports our cleaning regimes by continually working behind the scenes in the fight against harmful bacteria.
“The unit has been well designed and Odyssey Bio’s curved profile contributes by providing a less institutional feel,” he added.
The need for the refurbishment was magnified by the large amount of high-tech equipment that the unit requires. Odyssey Bio was specified by building services consultant for the project, Couch Perry & Wilkes, to carry power, voice and data systems within the baby clinic, treatment rooms and administrative areas of the outpatients department. It was installed by Vinci Construction UK Building Services and supplied by Edmundson Electrical’s Saltley, Birmingham, branch.
Tony Foster for Couch Perry & Wilkes said: “Odyssey Bio ticked all the boxes in terms of infection control and its curved profile has aesthetical and practical advantages. However we also needed a flexible, future-proof system for as and when changes to internal layouts are required. By using Odyssey Bio we have been able to future proof sections of trunking in readiness for any later re-configuration that might be necessary.”
Bio Trunking Solutions have been specified for a number of projects within the heath service, including both hospital wards and ancillary facilities from Devon in the south west of England, to Aberdeen in Scotland. Most recently Bio was installed at The University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, where the hospital trust is one of the best performing NHS Trusts in the country when it comes to infection control, according to Department of Health figures. Its estates department, as with most Bio installations, opted for the Marshall-Tufflex’s Odyssey profile, the only all-curved trunking on the market. Its curves help repel dirt and aid cleaning. “Flat surfaces gather dust and dust gathers bugs,” said hospital estates engineer Richard Speight. “The curving profile was a big bonus.”
Odyssey Bio also proved highly successful for the owners of a Dublin nursing home who selected it for installation during an upgrading project. James O’Reilly, manager of Altadore Retirement Nursing Home, in Glenageary, said: “In most cases trunking is square shaped and offers little aesthetic appeal. We went for the Odyssey profile because it is nicely curved and more aesthetically pleasing. The antimicrobial element, from an infection control point of view, just added another string to the system’s bow and the increase in cost was negligible.
We are very happy with the system, it has done us proud. We are in the process of planning a new-build extension to Altadore and will use Odyssey Bio in that building as well.”
Odyssey Bio has been tested to the quantitative standard ISO 22196:2007. Results show the survival rate of tested bacteria to be less than 0.1%. Odyssey Bio is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and compliant with the European Biocidal Products Directive (BPD). Untreated trunking systems can harbour harmful bacteria and, if touched, be a source of cross-contamination.
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