Have you seen Malmet's infection control solutions?

How long since your team reviewed the infection control standards? Specifically the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standard for Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection?

With the continued presence of COVID-19, infection control is suddenly first priority on the community agenda — but hospitals and aged care providers know there’s much more to infection prevention and control than hand sanitiser and face masks.

Of particular importance is the reprocessing of reusable medical devices — such as utensils and bed pans — within the healthcare setting (Action 3.14 in the Standard). To meet Accreditation Standards, many facilities are now facing the difficult decision of which infection control equipment solutions will best meet their needs, or how to establish a plan to comply with the Standard within the appropriate time frame.

Here’s where Malmet comes in.

With an extensive sales and service network, Malmet has heard the questions from managers, faced the challenges with site engineers and walked with frontline workers on the ground. This examination of two of the industry’s leading washer disinfector machines by Malmet will give you an insight into how a high level disinfection can help you breeze through the compliance finish line, and ultimately get gold standard results for staff and patients.

From aged care to patient care — a solution for every setting

Both the ES-D Bedpan/Urine Bottle Washer Disinfector and the WDS Bedpan/Urine Bottle and Utensil/Bowl Washer Disinfector offer peak efficiency when it comes to high level disinfection for dirty utility rooms (DUR).

Unlike other similar style machines, every cycle in the ES-D and WDS uses detergent. This feature is essential to infection control, adding a second aid to the cleaning process to break down organic material for a higher level of disinfection. This is great news for health and aged care service organisations looking for easy solutions to comply with the greater requirements now demanded by the NSQHS Standard. You can rest assured that you’ll get the right cycle every time for optimum thermal disinfection.

Each machine has been tested to exceed compliance requirements for the highest relevant Australian and ISO Standards, which means under recommended usage conditions they will offer reliable efficiency time and time again.

The ES-D and WDS are also independently proven to eradicate bacteria and viruses that can be found on reusable medical devices, giving your staff and patients peace of mind with the highest safety standards.

Efficiency and safety outcomes for managers

As a manager, you want equipment on the floor that satisfies infection control standards, but you also want equipment that will provide practical outcomes for efficiency and staff safety.

The ES-D has a lower water and power consumption for decreased running costs, but also a lighter environmental footprint. Despite the compact size, this unit still maintains a practical capacity when compared with similar style equipment.

The high capacity of the WDS means it can handle high volumes of work on busy wards quickly and efficiently, speeding up work processes when you need it most.

Both machines are microbiologically tested by an independent NATA certified lab. This means you can know you’re employing trusted technology that meets infection control standards by providing high level disinfection — not just a water wash and flush function.

Each of these machines is also fitted with the factory set Malmet Door Obstruction Feature. A pressure sensor detects any obstruction and safely reopens the machine door. With the safety of your staff at a premium, mitigating the risk of injury on the ward is a big plus for your WHS management team.

Proven results for patients and frontline health workers on the floor

Both the WDS and the ES-D offer hands-free operation, preventing infection transmission across contaminated surfaces. As an added bonus this also prevents wear and tear on the machines, and makes life easy for staff coming to the machine with gloved hands.

The WDS offers three cycle options which allow users to wash and disinfect urine bottles only, utensils only, or a combination of reusable equipment. This versatility means that you don’t have to leave dirty items waiting around until you have a full load. The cycle selection panel is complete with graphics for ease of use, and sensors minimise the risk of the incorrect program being selected. The ES-D is even easier, with a simplified panel offering reliable results.

Site engineers farewell installation and maintenance headaches

The ES-D and the WDS are both manufactured with an inbuilt, power efficient steam generator. This means no external hot water system is required, simply connect the water supply and say goodbye to an additional hot water system maintenance program. And with all the steam managed internally, you can also say goodbye to fire service callout fees due to accidental alarm triggers.

Many healthcare sites don’t have the luxury of 3-phase power, but this doesn’t mean you should have to miss out on a high capacity machine. The WDS offers an option for single phase power, so you can have the best of both worlds. You don’t have to upgrade your circuits for the ES-D either, which is available in 240V 10A and 240V 20A.

There is also no venting required for either the ES-D or the WDS, which alleviates more headaches for site maintenance and engineering staff. In the past you may have had to create building modifications for existing and capital works projects in order to accommodate exhausts, creating a more complex installation. This is no longer an issue, so you can focus resources on other aspects of your redevelopment, and have the peace of mind of a lighter building maintenance schedule in the long term, as well as knowing you’ve chosen a machine with proven longevity and reliability.

The standard machine maintenance schedule offered by Malmet is also a bonus, with less site visits than other brands. And facilities can have the assurance of Malmet trained and qualified technicians on hand when you need them.

So where to from here?

This really depends on your facility’s plan of compliance with the Infection Prevention and Control Standard. But here’s a general guide to make sure your facility is on the right track:

1. Establish a gap analysis: Malmet can support your facility to establish and compile a gap analysis to determine your current level of compliance with the standards. This can assist your site to assess and plan each stage of your compliance according to your priorities, such as machine capacity, ongoing maintenance and service, or working with building constraints.
2. Not ready to upgrade your equipment yet? Utilise a quality improvement framework to specify time frame, milestones, and deliverables that will facilitate your implementation of the standards.
3. Plan for high level disinfection: Review the NSQHS Standard, as well as AS 4187.2014. Determine what your organisation really needs in a compliant machine to provide the highest standards of infection control for your team and your patients.

By choosing Malmet Infection Control Solutions, you’re choosing the gold standard in patient care with our proud history of reliability, performance, and experience in DUR equipment. The great news is that Malmet’s specialist infection control equipment is made right here, so you can achieve high standards with quality, Australian-made infection prevention and control solutions.