Celebrating infection prevention innovators

20th October 2020

COVID-19 has drawn huge attention to the importance of infection prevention and control. This year, International Infection Prevention Week (#IIPW) celebrates the importance of infection prevention and the role we all play in protecting public health whilst giving thanks and recognising the vital job of our healthcare Infection Preventionists.

In this blog, Charlotte Fox, Innovation Manager, shines the spotlight on an innovative disinfection solution which has been supported by the AHSN NENC.

International Infection Prevention Week gives people the opportunity to share their good practice and to join the national conversation to raise the awareness of essential standard infection control precautions, hand hygiene, safe distance and clean environments amongst many others.

My role at the AHSN NENC is to support our region’s NHS Trusts to innovate and one of the most exciting innovations I’ve supported this year is the PCT Health Annihilyzer with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and its subsidiary company and support services provider, NTH Solutions.

With funding from the AHSN NENC, North Tees & Hartlepool NHS FT were able to carry out evaluation work with partners PCT Health to explore a revolutionary disinfection solution.

PCT Health’s Annihilyzer system is unique, the system uses Hypochlorus fluid (HOCl) which is a broad-spectrum disinfectant. It is hospital made and proven to kill 99.9999% of known Hospital Associated Infection (HAI) pathogens. The disinfectant solution is composed of salt and water so is PH neutral and enables daily deep cleaning and removes the need to close off wards and treatment rooms to allow for cleaning.

NTH Solutions also offers a commercial deep cleaning service utilising the PCT Health Annihilyzer and has created 50 job posts to assist both the Trust and its subsidiary NTH Solutions.

You can read more about the system on NTH Solution’s website here https://nthsolutions.co.uk/services/the-annihylyzer/

The Economic Growth team are extremely pleased to support such an innovative product and this service really highlights the support that we provide to innovators across the NHS system. Infection prevention control seems particularly relevant during this time and being able to offer support to NTH Solutions and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust for this project has been a real highlight for the team.

If you’d like to find out more about the PCT Annihilyzer system, please email [email protected] and if you would like to find out how the Economic Growth team can support your innovation, please email [email protected].