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Birmingham’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital deploys silver technology
 The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham has one of the lowest rates of hospital acquired infections in the country, but far from being complacent, is actively looking at ways to prevent and control infection. The hospital has purchased a number of innovative products, designed with silver antimicrobial technology that can help reduce the presence of ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA.
Silver is a natural antibacterial, which means it reacts with bacteria, mould and fungi and inhibits their growth, so that over time they die. BioCote, a Wolverhampton-based firm, has developed a pioneering new technology that impregnates silver into standard hospital equipment and furniture. The silver in these products can then reduce the amount of bacteria on their surface by up to 99.9 per cent over a 24-hour period.
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has purchased a number of hospital products, including waste sack holders from Environmental Hygiene, cotton cubicle curtains from Mosaic and dressing trolleys from Sidhl, all of which contain BioCote®.
Products protected with BioCote still need to be cleaned by ward staff. However, the silver technology works
in-between cleans to reduce levels of bacteria on the surface, reducing the risk of cross contamination, which could help further reduce the possibility of patients acquiring MRSA or other ‘superbugs’
Lindsey Webb, director of nursing and governance at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital comments; “We are always looking at ways we can improve the care for our patients. We take infection control very seriously and as well as adopting all of the tried and tested techniques for improving hygiene standards, we are also looking at new technology to assist.”
“Everyone in the hospital is committed to working together to reduce the risk of hospital acquired infection, and we are delighted to be working with a local company to help achieve this.”
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