NHS tender win for OspreyDeepclean
OspreyDeepclean has won a 14-month tender to provide specialist steam cleaning equipment to NHS hospitals through the National Health Service Purchase and Supply Agency.
The tender agreement is a direct response to the UK government's £50m of extra funding for the Strategic Health Authority. The agreement has an option of a further one-year extension.
David Chestnutt, chief executive of OspreyDeepclean parent company Proventec, said: "This is a significant contract for the company and is a reward for its commitment to innovation and problem solving. The company had undertaken an 18-month programme of product development and rigorous microbiological performance trials with University College London Hospitals, resulting in purpose designed steam cleaning tools for hospital equipment cleaning that can help combat the 'superbug' epidemic. The NHS trusts have recognised the benefits of our technology and we are already starting to see strong demand convert into orders.
He went on to add that while he believes the government’s additional funding offer represented a long-awaited overhaul of all UK NHS trusts, it was not enough unless future ongoing cleaning regimes are prioritised and upheld.
“Patients everywhere deserve wards that are cleaned regularly and thoroughly, it is only through this process that we will break the cycle of hospital-acquired infections," he said.
Conventional deep cleaning of hospitals traditionally has involved emptying wards to enable staff to carry out comprehensive decontamination. Osprey's dry saturated steam cleaning machines and cleaning methodology can be used to rid all areas of micro-organisms, including ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile, without compromising safety and without the need to remove patients.
OspreyDeepclean machines decontaminate wards and clean patient equipment on a daily basis in order to maintain high standards of hygiene. The company has applied for patents on its specialist tooling which enables staff to clean all areas of the hospital including mattresses, curtains and bed frames as well as walls and floor, without the use of antimicrobial chemicals that may contribute to microbial resistance.
Chestnutt added: "Through working through the 'Science of Healthcare Cleaning' with guidance from Infection control professionals within NHS hospitals and equipment suppliers, we have set new standards for hospital hygiene and redefined 'clean'. Our unique steam equipment is the only validated technology that has the full data to substantiate that we can achieve a viable method of surface disinfection, to support proactive infection prevention and control, yet which allows patients to remain on the wards."
OspreyDeepclean steam products and cleaning techniques are currently in the final stages of scientific validation at TNO, Zeist, Netherlands, designed to set new Pan-European and Pan-American standards for microbiological decontamination of surfaces with dry steam vapour.