Endoscopy departments across the UK now have access to what is claimed to be UK’s first mobile decontamination unit.
Quest+ Decontamination is the latest facility from leading mobile medical unit provider, EMS Healthcare, and, the company explains, was developed following a number of requests from healthcare providers facing increasing capacity challenges. It said: “Currently, in order to meet demand, healthcare providers must either use external decontamination services, or transfer the decontamination suite to a new location within the hospital estate, which can often result in ward closures. The new unit enables hospitals to continue endoscope reprocessing services without disruption for the first time, creating efficiencies when in-house decontamination is running at full capacity, department refurbishments are required, or equipment has reached the end of its 8-10 year lifecycle.”
The fully HTM-compliant unit features medical grade materials throughout, and is a completely independent facility, comprising four washer-disinfectors, an endoscopy grade sink, and its own reverse osmosis on board, enabling JAG accreditation. It has a footprint of 16.8 m x 6 m.
EMS Healthcare, a listed supplier on the NHS’s Mobile Diagnostics, Theatres, Treatment and Therapy Services Framework, added: “With demand for gastrointestinal endoscopy set to exceed 2.4 million procedures per annum by 2019/2020, up 44 per cent since 2013/14 (according to Cancer Research UK figures), Quest+ Decontamination is being introduced as growth rates hit an all-time high.”
