A Whistle-Stop Tour through our Sustainability Report

The Problem: Curtain’s Dirty Secret

A disposable hospital curtain should be changed every 1-2 weeks, according to studies in China and Korea. Most people assume this to be the case in hospitals, however, the reality is starkly different. In fact, some curtains will still be up after 6 months of use. Curtains become contaminated within just one week of hanging. Can you imagine the accumulation of microbes over a 6 month period?

This just welcomes the issues of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) for both patients and staff, leading to additional costs and staff shortages due to absences.

The Solution: KwickScreen

KwickScreens are a hygienic, flexible and more sustainable alternative to hospital curtains. 

The requirement for flexibility in a healthcare space has been highlighted in recent years, especially after the Covid-19 outbreak. KwickScreens allow for the quick creation of patient spaces anywhere at any time, ensuring patients are always provided with privacy and dignity. Not only this but KwickScreens also help to save lives, save the planet and save money.

Saving Lives

KwickScreen was born out of the issue of HAIs. Between 2016-2017, 834,000 HAIs were recorded in England alone, accounting for 21% of bed days and 28,500 deaths. This worryingly high number of HAI deaths is avoidable. 

Many HAIs are caused by the build up of microbes in the patient space, of which hospital curtains are a great contributor. It is a difficult process to clean curtains often; disposable curtains are disposed of and fabric curtains are taken down, washed, dried and re-installed. KwickScreens, however, can be wiped down quickly by the bedside with Clinell wipes. This ease of cleaning means the patient space is likely to be sanitised more often. In addition, KwickScreens have a single, small, easy-to-clean touchpoint, localising the area on which microbes will accumulate on the screen. All of this contributes to a reduction in HAI contraction and, therefore, saves lives. 

A trial conducted by University College London Hospital (UCLH) also found that there is 8x more bacteria on hospital curtains vs a KwickScreen. 

Saving the Planet

Disposable curtains lead to huge waste generation. To give you an idea of just how much waste they produce, 235 tonnes of curtains would be disposed of if all NHS England curtains were changed just twice a year. One would like to think that these curtains are changed more often for hygiene reasons, however, as hygiene improves, waste significantly increases!

To top it off, fabric curtains are arguably worse. In addition to releasing 343 KG of CO2 emissions via the industrial washing machine, up to 9.5 million microscopic plastic fibres are released per wash. These fibres cause water pollution and become embedded in the tissue of marine life, spreading through the food chain. These issues are negated with KwickScreens due to their long life and ease of cleaning, reducing waste and the need for industrial washing of curtains.

KwickScreen also believes sustainability should be a priority at all points of the KwickScreen life cycle, from the individual components up to the finished product. 70%+ of our raw materials are sourced from within 150 miles, and 95%+ of them are recyclable. In addition, retrieving, repairing and re-using damaged screens is encouraged, allowing customers to practise carbon-conscious healthcare whilst also providing long-term cost savings. 

Saving Money

Each wash and re-installation of a fabric curtain costs the NHS ~£24. However, washing a KwickScreen three times a week with two wipes will leave the NHS with an annual operational cost of £199 for up to 5 years. If we estimate that a fabric curtain gets washed every week, a KwickScreen works out significantly cheaper per year (£1,248 vs £199). The above doesn’t even take into account disposable curtains. A KwickScreen can last 5+ years, significantly reducing waste going to landfill, in addition to labour costs required to procure, install, remove and dispose of these disposable curtains every week or so.

In addition, given KwickScreens are a much better option to tackle HAIs, their use can significantly reduce the £2.7bn that HAIs cost the NHS every year!

If you would like further information on any segment of this blog, take a look at our Full Sustainability Report.