Cardiff & Vale fulfil anti-ligature project with Mental Health Bins

11 Jun 2018

We’ve recently delivered a large batch of Mental Health Bins to Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.

We spoke with Mike Fry, Capital Projects Manager about their previous waste strategy and what prompted the health board to implement these new Mental Health Bins. “We were previously using ordinary waste bins in our facilities that were secured simply using a chain and padlock. We needed new waste bins to reduce the risks to our patients.”

Mike told us how the Health Board came to order these new waste bins. “The Welsh Government provided numerous health boards with capital funding in the 2017/18 financial year in an attempt to reduce the ligature risk in inpatient mental health facilities.”

Through our experience in providing mental health units, we have found that many health organisations have differing requirements when it comes to their waste bins and we make every effort to incorporate all of these requirements into our designs. Wherever possible we will also work with our customers to implement changes to satisfy their individual safety and security needs.

As a result, the health board ordered 105 28 litre Mental Health Binswhich have been sited throughout their mental health estate. These smaller units are ideal for toilets and patient rooms, with a secure lock that prevents unauthorised access.

Mike explained other aspects of the project in line with implementing these new waste bins: “The risks we have targeted have been en-suite doors, which have been replaced with foam doors that pull away from magnetic hinges and also the replacement of all sanitary waste in toilets, bath and shower rooms.”

“The bins you provided complement the improved environment and are less conspicuous than the bins currently used.”

Our Mental Health Bins are manufactured from a combination of galvanised steel and aerospace grade ABS plastic. The lid and body are powder coated galvanised steel which offers superior levels of corrosion resistance, and the base unit is manufactured from ABS plastic to keep the unit wet room safe and non-marking to walls and floors.

These units function through the foot pedal operated chute which prevents any access by hand, with folded edges on the lid of the bin that are used to completely cover the chute operating system and ensure that there is no visibility of the inner waste bag.

We’ve recently developed these secure sackholders to make them even more user friendly; we’ve increased the chute length to further restrict access to the contents. The back of the unit is now fully enclosed, this has resulted in a more contained and solid design with fewer moving components. The unit is also very easy to clean with no possibilities for harbouring harmful bacteria. Any gaps between the metal components of the bin have been kept to an absolute minimum.

Read about the recent implementation of over 400 Mental Health Bins at Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust on our website. 

If you would like to see a sample of our Metal Health Bin, feel free to give us a call on 01226 352333 or send us an email to [email protected]