Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has selected newly designed VernaChair commode chairs from VERNACAREfor its three district general hospitals and other acute and community hospitals across North Wales.
The decision follows positive feedback from nursing staff who had used the commode chairs on two wards at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Nurses reported that the commode was easy to clean and gave a good visual impression to patients.
The VernaChair was developed collaboratively with clinicians from across the healthcare sector. The aim was to create a robust, easy-clean product, which would reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections. Christine Jeffrey, specialist matron for infection prevention, was involved in the new product development process.
She said: “Vernacare has listened carefully to the views of healthcare professionals and developed a new commode chair that is practical to use, looks good, and can be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly and effectively. I particularly like the lifting arms, which make it easier to clean, and to inspect during infection prevention spot checks. It is easy to strip the chair down and disinfect it using sporicidal wipes or other cleaning methods. The commode lid can be hung on the back of the chair, which is more convenient and better from a hygiene perspective.”
To assist the introduction of the new product, Vernacare is continuing to offer educational support to customers, including ward-based training, commode audits and educational posters.
