Hinchingbrooke Hospital

The Assignment

Automate patient bay doors for six wards of the Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust Healthcare facility in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.

The Challenge

To improve Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s ability to control the spread of infection by eliminating the need for medical staff, patients and their visitors to physically touch patient bay doors on the wards.

The Solution

Besam UK installed 30 UniSlide single-leaf sliding door systems with kick-plate activation units, creating a physical barrier that isolates infectious patients from the remainder of the ward. This solution not only eliminates the need for people to touch the doors with their hands in order to open them, but the foot-activation also provides convenient passage for staff handling food trays, soiled bed linens, and other items used in the treatment of infectious patients.

In addition to helping prevent the spread of infection, the Besam UniSlides improve the ward environment and enhance privacy for patients. Staff and visitors in the halls are undetectable to the patients in the bays, and doctor-patient conversations cannot be overheard in the corridors.

Besam UK is also providing preventative maintenance through its service program.