Disability charity trials infection-fighting light technology

Sunday 24 July 2022

A charity which provides services to people with learning disabilities has become the first care provider in the Channel Islands to use a new type of light technology to eliminate airborne and surface bacteria and viruses.

Les Amis will be employing FAR UCV equipment, which uses filtered UV light to sanitise rooms and other indoor spaces, to reduce risk of infection in its homes.

The system is considered safe as the UV light uses wavelengths that cannot penetrate the skin or eyes, but is still able to neutralise bacteria and viruses. 

Working with Jersey-based distributor SLK Technologies, the charity has installed two portable units designed by FAR UCV Africa at its home in Five Oaks, but Shaun Findlay, Managing Director of Les Amis, is optimistic that this technology could provide a safer way forward.

He explained that he is "hopeful this technology, in addition to the precautions we already take, will provide a cost effective and efficient way of making sure the areas where our residents live  and our staff work our safe."

Shaun also said: "Infection control is vital in a residential home setting, and we work extremely hard to ensure our residents and carers are safe. Using UV light technology provides an extra layer of protection and reassurance two years after the covid-19 pandemic."

Stephen Kenealy, Managing Director, SLK Technologies Ltd, added: "The pandemic taught us that we need to take extra steps to control the spread of infection, especially in care settings. We need to protect ourselves. 

"Current measures, such as air filtering, only go so far and the beauty of this system is that it will safely neutralise all surfaces as well as the air we breathe."

Pictured: Shaun Findlay and Stephen Kenealy with the new, infection-fighting tech.

He went on to describe the system as "effective, easy to use and able to be moved from room to room", and noted that it is "a first for the Channel Islands and key stakeholders in infection control in the UK, including the NHS."