Royal Bolton Hospital selects Vernacare infection prevention technology

Palatine Private Equity portfolio company Vernacare has been selected by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust to provide their infection prevention technology which ensures effective, hygienic disposal of single-use toileting and washing products.

Vernacare’s fibre moulded bedpans, urinals, wash bowls and other products are already used across Royal Bolton Hospital. Now, ageing disposal machines have been replaced with Vernacare’s Vortex technology, which disintegrates and flushes away the disposable products and human waste to reduce the risk of cross infection.

The Vortex is the only disposal unit on the market that has a closed-drum system, which ensures that only a fine waste water slurry is discharged to the drains.

The Vortex technology has been designed for easy maintenance, with a self-diagnosing LCD screen and manual emptying override. Independent tests have shown that the Vortex discharges waste water more rapidly than alternative machines, with substantially lower and less variable solids content, which assists with drainage flow. The system uses a 24 litre cold water cycle, which reduces energy costs as well as environmental impact.

Vernacare is the only company worldwide to manufacture a complete single-use human waste disposal system and has been the global market leader for more than 50 years. The system is proven to help reduce the risk of cross infection and improve environmental performance, while saving nursing time and generating cost savings.

The Vortex is manufactured to ISO EN 9001:2008 standards at Vernacare’s global production site in Bolton, UK, where the company’s fibre moulded infection prevention products are also produced. The Vortex is tested to ensure compliance with CE and BS requirements and is also independently tested for compliance to PAS 029, including stringent five-stage testing to ensure 100% effective breakdown of disposable products for effective discharge via the drains.