There is a real and growing need to protect patients, service users and clinicians from the risk of infection.
The rise of super bugs and the migration of major contagions like Ebola and more recently COVID-19 make the need to impose strict infection control systems essential to the smooth and safe running of hospitals and care facilities.
Deep cleansing of hospital wards and promoting good hand hygiene among staff, visitors and patients all have a key role to play in keeping infection at bay. But when it comes to effective infection control, the importance of well-designed facilities cannot be neglected.
Sluice rooms, sometimes known as dirty utility rooms, are designed to halt the spread of infection in care facilities and British-based DDC Dolphin – the only UK manufacturer to focus exclusively on sluice room solutions – are at the forefront of existing technology.
Their innovative solutions are meticulously designed to cater to hospitals, care facilities, and hospices around the world, helping to create an environment where human waste and other infectious material can be safely disposed of without putting patients or clinicians at risk.
James Smith, Business Development Director explains: “The efficient management of human waste disposal is critical to any infection control strategy.
“Many items used during the delivery of care can easily become contaminated with bodily fluids, so steps must be taken to ensure that this waste is hygienically disposed of to eliminate the risks of cross-contamination.
“There is a common misconception that sluice/dirty utility rooms harbour infectious disease purely because that’s where the infectious material goes. In fact, sluice rooms are far from glorified janitor closets and they perform a vital role in the fight against infections.
When properly designed and equipped, and allied with diligently observed infection control policies, they become a nexus of hygiene within clinical settings.”
Based in Poole, DDC Dolphin was founded on the ideal of safeguarding the vulnerable and frontline clinicians from the risk of infectious diseases through innovation and excellence.
Since 1991 the company has been investing in new technologies such as their anti-microbial coating and touchless interface, to bring care facilities and hospitals the most efficient, safest solutions for their sluice/dirty utility room provision.
Preventing the spread of coronavirus
Today, the correct management of human waste is more important than ever.
Research has identified the presence of live COVID-19 virus in the waste of infected patients, leading to all secretions (except sweat) to be regarded as potentially infectious[1].
During the pandemic, infection control specialist DDC Dolphin has been supplying vital equipment to Cardiff’s NHS Nightingale Hospital to help treat Covid-19 patients. The company has so far supplied the hospital with 16 machines, all manufactured in Poole and installed by DDC Dolphin engineers.
James adds: “Maintaining effective infection control procedures continues to present a major challenge for many hospitals and healthcare settings. This has been vastly exacerbated by the highly infectious nature of the coronavirus, which is putting immense strain on our global infrastructure, with medical facilities amongst the hardest hit.
“Disposing of human waste in the safest possible way will help hospitals and care facilities to ensure that outbreaks of infection such as coronavirus are safely managed and contained.”
DDC Dolphin is a specialist sluice room equipment manufacturer and global supplier with 30 years’ experience – providing medical pulp macerators, bedpan washer disinfectors, air purifiers, and medical pulp consumables to healthcare facilities.
The company – one of only three companies in the world specialising in the manufacture of medical pulp macerators – exports sluice room equipment and accessories across the world, safeguarding patients and clinicians from dangerous infections. Key markets include Europe, India, Singapore and the rest of Asia.
