The first product in a range of award-winning healthcare furniture from BRISTOL MAID is a bedside cabinet that was developed as a result of work carried out on “Design Bugs Out”, an initiative commissioned by the Department of Health, NHS Purchasing & Supply Agency and the Design Council which challenged designers and manufacturers to redesign furniture with the aim of reducing Healthcare Associated Infections.
The eClean cabinet features a one-piece continuously moulded design, where all surfaces are accessible for easy cleaning. Three removable and reversible drawers can be fitted on either side of the cabinet, offering flexibility for use either side of the bed. Keyless RFID controlled electronic locks can be fitted to the drawers for safe storage or for use in “Medicines Management Programmes”. Commenting on the units, Diane Simpson senior matron for infection prevention and control at Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: “This locker has been designed to help us to keep the patient area clean. Because the unit has no back and we can take out the drawers completely, it can be wiped clean in minutes ready to receive the next patient. A lot of the work we do in promoting good hand hygiene among our staff is centred on the patient environment and this unit is a part of that. By making things easier to clean we are reducing the risk of seeing potentially harmful bacteria travelling from patient to patient.” The bedside cabinet will soon be joined by a co-ordinating overbed table.
