Bolton-based medical consumables company Vernacare has emphasised the importance of teamwork and partnership for their development of the world’s first pulp wash bowl, which won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2011.

The Vernacare wash bowl (pictured) is used by hospitals in more than 270 NHS Trusts and across the globe for patient care, wound and continence care, hand washing and surface cleaning.

In a study reported in the BMJ, Vernacare’s wash bowls were among a package of measures that led to a 50% fall in cases of C. difficile at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust over 12 months.

Karen Haslam, Chief Executive of Vernacare (pictured, left), praised the company’s team and the clinicians who had helped them to develop and trial the product. “We developed our single-use wash bowl in response to customer demand,” she said. “Nurses told us they were concerned that re-using plastic wash bowls without properly cleaning and drying was a significant infection risk.

Vernacare’s previous pulp products were permeable to warm soapy water, she added. “This was a major challenge that took our in-house team two years of painstaking research and trial and error to overcome.”

Heather Dakin, Senior Nurse Infection Control at Colchester Hospital, said of the product: “Nursing staff found that they had more time for patient care and didn’t have to worry about decontaminating plastic bowls. They also found that wards looked much tidier as the pulp can be stacked on racking provided by Vernacare rather than hanging from lockers or beds collecting dust.”

Vernacare provides single-use pulp products for patient waste management and a macerator for disposal. The products are used in over 90% of UK hospitals and more than 50 countries.

The photo shows Karen Haslam and Maria Sinfield of Royal Bolton Hospital with the Queen’s Award.

Vernacare, a specialist manufacturer of single-use patient toileting products, has launched an ‘Austerity Partnership’ with NHS Trusts.

The new agreement, mediated by NHS Supply Chain, enables hospitals to make sustainable cost savings on medical pulp products such as bedpans.

The Austerity Partnership rewards customer loyalty: where it secures a purchasing commitment, Vernacare offers year-on-year cost reductions and rebates. The company is also operating an exclusive discount scheme on its UK-manufactured macerators.

The purchasing commitment will enable Vernacare to increase its production volume by investing in its Lancashire production facilities.

Like the pulp magazines that flourished during the Great Depression, medical pulp products offer cost-effective solutions that minimise resource use. Vernacare’s medical pulp products are based on recycled newsprint, with no bleach or dye. The company is the only pulp manufacturer to carry a Kitemark.

Pat Lloyd, Deputy to the Assistant Director of Procurement at South Tees Hospital NHS Trust, said: “This new agreement provides us with continued value for money and fixed price savings from Vernacare. We have trialled pulp products from other suppliers, but there have been supply and quality issues, including the hidden cost of ward staff using two or three of these products stacked together just to safeguard against leaking.

“Vernacare’s patented pulp is independently tested to the highest quality standards and we have confidence in the efficacy of their products.”

“We offer the most comprehensive range of top quality single-use pulp, and invest in dedicated customer care support and territory managers, who provide valuable staff training, hygiene audits and study day support,” said Lesley Webster, UK Director, Vernacare. “Clinical staff appreciate the outstanding quality of Vernacare pulp, and the fact that it never leaks.”

 
Vernacare medical pulp