Four months after moving into new premises, Assure Sterile Services has become the first operational “supercentre” in England for the reprocessing of re-usable surgical instruments.
The “supercentre” has been created within the new Vernon-Carus manufacturing facility and offices at Matrix Park, Chorley, and is 3,000 m2 in size. It is designed to comply with Health Building Note 13 Sterile Services Department principles. This state-of-the-art facility has the latest technology, scaleable capacity and leads the way in decontamination services.
Extensive experience has been gained by Vernon-Carus and its specialist staff involved in the development of the new service. Fully equipped, the unit has nine sterilisers, five multi-chamber and six single cabinet washerdisinfectors, three pass-through cart washers and a staffing complement of over 150. The unit has a processing capability of approximately 1.5 million DIN trays per year and will be open on demand, 24 hours a day, sevcn days a week.
It is anticipated that the majority of Assure customers will be from within the north west of England but the unit is capable of taking on customers further afield who are able to work with a 24-hour turnaround.
The facility has a fleet of its own “GPS tracked” vehicles to collect and deliver sterile and used equipment from customers.
Vernon-Carus has been involved in bidding for work as part of the National Initiative to Modernise Decontamination Services as well as having already secured business with private sector healthcare providers in the north west. Tracking systems are installed to ensure full traceability of devices throughout each stage of the decontamination process, and there are appropriate systems at the healthcare provider. Devices are tagged using both bar codes and radio frequency identification (RFID).
Vernon-Carus has developed a Centre of Excellence at the facility offering training courses for healthcare professionals including decontamination practitioners, infection control staff and others and is able to develop bespoke courses and seminars for managers and others who require specific training. Classroom teaching will be balanced by the opportunity to put theory into validated practice in the sterile services facility. Scheduled courses will start in early 2007.
• Vernon-Carus officially opened its £10 million, 100,000 ft2 new headquarters at Matrix Park, Chorley, earlier in the year. The company produces more than 1,700 lines of infection control and wound care products, is a top 20 supplier to the NHS and exports to more than 50 countries.
