Why does my sluice room need a sink if it has a macerator or bedpan washer?

No matter how good your medical pulp macerator or bedpan washer disinfector, your sluice room will always need a sink.

Before sluice machines, the sink was the first line of defence. Bedpans were emptied down a slop hopper and washed by hand in the sink.

And as inconceivable as it may seem, some care homes persist in manually washing bedpans – despite the increased infection risk this poses!

But even in today’s world of modern sluice machines, every sluice room needs a sink for general washing and cleaning duties. However, sink water trap technology has moved on significantly – but we’ll come to that in due course.

First let’s look at the sink itself…

Exploring Essential Sluice Room Equipment Types

Which stainless steel for my sluice room sink?

Sluice sinks must be built to last. They have to withstand years of round-the-clock use in demanding hospital or care home environments.

Stainless steel is the material of choice because it is highly robust and corrosion-resistant. It can withstand repeated cleaning with strong chemicals.

There are different types of stainless steel – so it’s important to ensure your sink and other sluice room furniture is manufactured from the right grade for your requirements.

Stainless steel is an iron and chromium alloy. To be ‘stainless’, this alloy must be at least 10.5% chromium. And most grades contain 18%. Chromium toughens the steel and increases its corrosion resistance. Other common additives include nickel for added strength.

DDC Dolphin’s sinks and other sluice room furniture are manufactured from type 304 stainless steel. Grade 304 typically contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. It’s the world’s most popular type of stainless steel – it’s the grade used for cutlery.

On request, we can also supply sinks and other sluice room furniture in higher quality 316 ‘marine grade’ stainless steel.

Grade 316’s higher nickel ratio, added molybdenum and lower carbon content make it more corrosion resistant. So 316 stainless steel is able to withstand more aggressive cleaning agents.

HTM-compliant sluice room sinks and other furniture

DDC Dolphin is an NHS preferred supplier. All our stainless steel furniture complies with Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 64. That includes sinks, basins, slop hoppers, janitorial units, base and wall units, lever- and sensor-operated taps – and accessories such as wall racks, glove dispensers and soap dispensers.

HTM 64 outlines guidelines and recommendations for the design and management of sanitary assemblies in healthcare facilities. It provides guidance on the design, installation, and operation of sanitary facilities, including medical pulp macerators and bedpan washer disinfectors.

Key aspects of HTM 64 include:

Hygiene and infection control – the importance of designing equipment and facilities to minimise the risk of infection transmission.
Materials and finishes that ensure durability, ease of cleaning, and resistance to corrosion or degradation over time.
Space planning and layout – where medical pulp macerators and bedpan washer disinfectors should typically be located, taking into account workflow, accessibility and ease of maintenance.
Water efficiency – promoting designs that minimise water consumption while maintaining effective operation.
Accessibility for routine cleaning, inspection and maintenance tasks to ensure ongoing functionality and hygiene.
Compliance with regulations and standards for the design and installation of sanitary assemblies in healthcare settings.
User training – which contributes to the effective and safe operation of macerators and bedpan washers.
Maintaining records related to the design, installation and maintenance of sanitary facilities – ensuring accountability and traceability.

Care homes are not required to use HTM 64 compliant furniture so we also supply standard medical-grade units. The standard furniture tends to be more cost-effective, making it a popular choice for care homes.

There are subtle differences between standard medical-grade sinks and the HTM 64 rated units used by hospitals. HTM 64 sinks don’t have overflows. And HTM 64 toilet cisterns are built to be hidden behind walls. All this is done to keep surfaces smooth to remove the risk of infection.

Where relevant, DDC Dolphin products also comply with:

HTM 63 – which relates to base units and cupboards that are fixed to walls or suspended from worktops.
Health Building Note (HBN) 00-10 – which includes guidance on flooring, walls, ceilings and sanitary assemblies.

Preventing infections in sink water traps

Water traps are one of the most contaminated areas in hospitals. They can create a serious infection risk – especially with regard to multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria.

Water contaminated by washing of hands or devices can – if the flow is restricted – result in biofilm-forming bacteria.

These bacteria can form in waste pipes and semi-horizontal drain pipes. They can spread quickly. Bacteria can ascend a drain to reach the sink waste fitting at a rate of 1 mm per hour. Any clean water hitting the drain will then disperse the bacteria up to two metres.

DDC Dolphin’s clinically tested UVC Water Trap Disinfector uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and stop biofilms from forming. The lamp consumes just 12w of energy per hour and is low maintenance; it needs changing just once a year.

UVC Water Trap Disinfector benefits: