16 November 2009
The specialist unit that cleans and sterilises the medical instruments used in Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals is set to receive three new state-of-the-art washers, costing more than £180,000.
The new washers, which clean the equipment used in any invasive procedure such as surgery or dentistry, are more efficient and are bigger than the current washers.
Dr Bernadette Ewah is a consultant anaesthetist and the clinical director of the Trust's critical care and anaesthetics directorate. She said: "I can't stress enough the importance of clean, disinfected and sterilised equipment within our hospitals. Clean instruments are vital to our services, and to the health and well-being of all of our patients.
"These new washers are the very latest model, so we're all looking forward to getting them."
The new washers, which are based within the Trust's Hospital Sterilisation and Disinfection Unit (HSDU), are heated by steam, which saves time and energy during each cycle, as there is no need to wait for an electrical element to heat up. On average each washing cycle will be 16 minutes shorter.
The HSDU, which is based at Epsom Hospital, is a busy department and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week cleaning the instruments for the Trust, as well as King's College Hospital, the Elective Orthopaedic Centre (EOC) and two primary care trusts. In one year alone, the unit processes 200,000 instrument packs.
Bernadette added: "The HSDU is really busy, with a team of about 60 people working round the clock to manage the volume of instruments that we have to check, clean, sterilise and pack.
"Medical instruments are used continually so we have to be on hand to process them, and it looks like we might get even busier soon as the EOC will be opening a new theatre later this year! The new washers will definitely be put to really good use."
