MRSA-beating laundry system
April 1st 2008

A collaboration between Miele Professional and NewGenn Research sees a new MRSAbeating laundry development. Not only does it kill MRSA at 40°C, saving energy and protecting fabric, but its environmental credentials negate the need for CoSHH

At the forefront of developing professional laundry equipment for hospitals and care homes Miele Professional in partnership with NewGenn Research have developed Miele NewGenn System Sanitise, designed specifically to aid in the prevention of MRSA in hospitals, care homes and any establishment where human immunity may be compromised making people vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infection.

Kill MRSA Renowned for precision technology,Miele Professional now has a ground-breaking new system – developed by an award winning research company – to eliminate bacteria and infections including the superbug MRSA.

The Miele Professional NewGenn System Sanitise is designed for use in all Miele Professional Washer Extractors ranging from 5.5kg – 32kg load capacities and works using the molecules of natural plant oils which are then modified into detergent to produce a totally safe chemical which is rapidly effective against potentially dangerous viruses and bacteria.

No CoSHH, no contracts "The benefits of the Miele NewGenn System are compelling," says Les Marshall, sales and marketing director for Miele Professional."A hospital or care home can simply purchase Sanitise as and when they need it. The Miele NewGenn System Sanitise is exceptionally kind to the environment and unlike most other systems there are no long term binding contracts, which can prove expensive. There is also no need to consider the CoSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) requirements, therefore providing a safe environment."

What the care home thinks Donna Steeden, support services manager at Quantum Care comments:"The NewGenn System Sanitise has provided us with a highly effective and low cost laundry solution from a trusted brand that is safe for our staff to handle.The system kills MRSA in a 40º wash, so not only is it energy efficient, but also protects the fibres of the fabric, prolonging the life of the laundry."

... And warewash equivalent Barnsley Hospital patients can be safe in the knowledge that their crockery and cutlery will be properly washed and disinfected thanks to 32 Miele Professional G7859 TD dishwashers.

The hospital provides surgical, medical, maternity, day case, dental, neo-natal, accident and emergency and out-patient services, so the control of hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and cDifficile is a major requirement.

The G7859 TD uses a freshwater system, which, unlike the tank type dishwashers, takes fresh water into the machine for every phase of the wash, giving consistently high cleaning standards throughout the programme.With two wash levels, the dishwasher provides enough space for up to 100 plates as well as 340 pieces of cutlery in its lower basket, plus an additional 147 pieces of crockery in the upper basket per hour.

The freshwater system achieves controlled and validatable disinfection by allowing the final rinse to be carried out at a high temperature for a pre-determined and prolonged period of time, which can be adjusted dependant on the wash load, ensuring the surface (and not just water) temperatures are elevated so disinfection is achieved.The default temperature reaches 85°C, providing disinfection in accordance with the Department of Health guidelines.

Other built-in features to further minimise the risk of infection include an integrated steam condenser system which, claims Miele, completely eliminates potentially hazardous external emissions. In addition, the electro-thermal door lock ensures the contents cannot be removed until the programme – and therefore the thermal disinfection cycle – has been completed.

"The reduction and control of these hospital infections is an important target for us and this meant that we needed to invest in reliable appliances which would cope with the high turnover of dishes produced by the hospital," says Paul Hawcroft, Barnsley Hospital's facilities manager. "We were particularly keen to select Miele machines, not only for their thermal disinfection capabilities and excellent reputation, but also due to features of the dishwashers which enable them to achieve government compliance for both time and temperature disinfection.

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