Hand washing at home
According to the Department of Health’s own figures, each excess bed day costs the NHS £275. Teal Patents believes that a portable hand wash basin, which costs around £150, could see that NHS bed unblocked and the patient at home.
According to a survey conducted by TEAL Patents at the recent Occupational Therapy Show, 60 per cent of occupational therapists believe insufficient home washing facilities are delaying patients from leaving hospitals and adding to NHS bed-blocking.
100 per cent of occupational therapists also consider the bathroom as the most problematic area of the home for patients ready to return home and agree a portable wash basin could help return the elderly and disabled to being cared for in their homes, rather than in hospital.
Manty Stanley, MD at TEAL Patents, said: “As well as 70 per cent of occupational therapists believing that portable handwashing assist carers with washing patients, 70 per cent also believe units would remind carers to wash their hands on a regular basis."
TEAL has designed and manufactured a range of portable, hot water, basins specifically for the home care environment. For minimal intervention, TEAL’s PatientWash is completely portable and lightweight and provides a self-contained, medical, hot water, hand wash and keeps water warm for up to five hours.
For maximum intervention, the TEAL Wash Stand takes users through NHS-compliant hand hygiene practices and can be placed at the bedside.
