Oakland Care are based in London and have care homes in Essex, East Sussex, Kent and Oxfordshire. All properties include private en-suite rooms, bistros, lounges, communal cinema rooms and hair salons. The homes provide the highest quality care supported by an extensive team of trained, professional nurses and carers.

The Challenge

Sustainability has always been a core focus for Oakland Care in all aspects of their business, and one of the key targets to achieve better sustainability was to reduce the volume of clinical waste at their homes.

The removal of clinical waste is high-cost in all homes. Odour from the clinical waste bags is also unpleasant for residents and team members and can pollute the local area when bins in the bin store become over filled due to the volume of waste.

Oakland Care wanted to find a solution which reduced costs and improved the quality of the air in the homes, but whatever the solution it had to support their sustainablilty initiatives.

The Solution

DDC Dolphin have a long-standing relationship with Oakland Care and had been working closely with them since 2015, supplying Panamatic Bedpan Washers, Pulpmatic Medical Pulp macerators and supporting with the service and maintenance of all equipment.

During a scheduled discussions on best practice DDC Dolphin were able to advise Oakland Care about the Hygenex Vacumatic waste disposal system, one of our latest offerings to the marketplace. The Hygenex Vacumatic waste disposal system uses vacuum technology which removes air from waste bags and then hermetically seals them, removing the problem of exposed bacteria, viruses, and unpleasant odours. It is a100% hygienic, efficient, and odourless waste disposal system.

A machine was trialled at Beechwood Grove Care Home in Eastbourne, and it was immediately a great success. After the first month, there was a marked reduction in odour in the home and around the bins which delighted team members and residents. The vacuum-packed bags created with the Hygenex Vacumatic reduced the volume of clinical waste, resulting in substantial savings of over 40% from the reduction of bin collections. The Hygenex Vacumatic solution proved to be a far more efficient and safer method than previously used, creating a much safer and more pleasant environment for team members and residents.

The Vacumatic waste disposal system supported their sustainable working practices, reduced odour in the home, reduced the risk of cross contamination and reduced the number of trips to the bins for team members, saving time and money for all, a great result.

Having witnessed the value and cost savings of the Hygenex Vacumatic waste disposal system, Oakland Care are now excited to roll out a fleet of Vacumatic’s across all sites.

The Outcome

"We have been delighted with the Vacumatic solution. It not only supports our sustainable working practices, it has reduced the odour in the home, reduced the trips to the outside bins for the team members and made a significant cost saving on our clinical waste disposal. At Oakland Care we are exploring all avenues to act more sustainably, and this is a good example of where sustainability initiatives also have a cost saving and quality of life benefit. We are keen to work with partners that help us support our journey as the greener choice in care."

Malcolm Hague - Operations Director - Oakland Care