Government issues call for ‘rapid sanitising technology” for ambulances
MoD agency seeks potential suppliers of mobile options to expedite cleaning process
Credit: Martin Addison/CC BY-SA 2.0
The government has issued a call for proposals for “rapid sanitising technology” that could expedite the process of cleaning ambulances that have been used to transport patients suspected of being infected with Covid-19.
Once such a patient has been taken to hospital, cleaning the ambulance that took them there can take 45 minutes, according to the government.
Moreover, “some ambulance-cleaning centres can also be some distance away from their base or hospitals – adding strain and delay on an already busy and pressurised service as the vehicles cannot be used until cleaning is completed”.
Related content
- DHSC plans £30m refresh of ambulance computing devices
- Paramedics offered live streaming from 999 callers’ phone cameras
- Pilot to see London paramedics get patient care records on iPad
The help alleviate this strain, the Defence and Security Accelerator – an agency of the Ministry of Defence – is seeking potential suppliers to submit proposals for technologies that could speed up the sanitisation of vehicles, allowing them to go back into service more quickly.
The call for ideas is taking place via DASA’s Open Call for Innovation programme – an ongoing and cyclical initiative through which the agency seeks industry contributions to support “particular and enduring innovation focus areas” which are regularly updated.
The current cycle has been extended to 1 April “for early bids to be considered”.
Ambulance-sanitising technologies must be ready to undergo a live trial, which will take place at the Wiltshire headquarters of another MoD arm’s-length body: the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Tests will take place using a vehicle provided by the Welsh Ambulance Service.
“Solutions must be suitable for rapid deployment to clean public sector vehicles following the transport of patients with the COVID-19 virus,” DASA said. "Ideally, solutions will have wider applicability than just ambulances, which might include, buses, trains, and other blue light services or even in hospital wards and rooms. Solutions which are mobile, allow ease of operation and maintenance, robust and reliable are of particular interest.”
More information is available here.
Share this page
Tags
Categories
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM READERS
Please login to post a comment or register for a free account.
Related Articles
Home Office chief reveals two thirds of users also need to be trained
Chief executive Julie Lennard on the role of tech in responding to the pandemic, and how people’s expectations of online tools have changed
Minister says mandating isolation is ‘right course of action’
Dominic Cummings-supported plans for a high-risk science and tech research agency appear to have stalled
Related Sponsored Articles
Defence Medical Services (DMS) is pursuing ground-breaking digital, data and technology transformation which will revolutionise Tri-Service healthcare provision to over 135,000 Armed...
OneTrust presents the reasons why your organisation should invest in privacy management - and offers three easy tips for getting started
The remote-first world has seen email being relied on more than ever as a core communication mechanism - but with 93% of IT leaders acknowledging a risk to sensitive data, what steps should be...
2020 was a cyber security wake up call for many organisations. Attempting to provide secure remote access and device flexibility quickly exposed the flaws in legacy systems and processes. As we...