SOLA, the new alternative Scrub-up Trough

The universal stainless steel healthcare scrub-up trough, designed to comply with the Standard for NHS England, has been difficult to manufacture for some time. This has led to limited availability, longer lead times, and higher costs, but now Pland Stainless has introduced Sola, an alternative solution on a shorter lead time.

Scrub-up troughs are spacious wash basins that enable surgeons and nurses to wash and scrub their hands and forearms before and after medical procedures. Pland is one of the few manufacturers to produce them in the UK and is now the market leader in this specialist area.

For those specifying products for the healthcare sector, the requirements for scrub-up troughs vary, and Pland Stainless manufactures many bespoke options in their Leeds factory. However, they now have two standard options, in a variety of sizes, that comply with the standard required for NHS England: HBN0010 Part C (which supersedes HTM64), and most healthcare specifiers throughout the UK have adopted this specification. 

The most specified version of a scrub-up trough is Trinidad, the premium model. This highly specified model typically takes around 15 hours to manufacture and, therefore, has a typical order lead time of 6-12 weeks. 

The new Sola scrub-up trough is an alternative solution. It is a budget model designed to take half the time Trinidad takes to produce and can, therefore, be manufactured in bulk with a lead time of 2-3 weeks.

Sola is still compliant with the NHS Standard and is manufactured from the same 304 grade, 1.5mm stainless steel, but it has a lower specification finish. For details on the specification of both models visit the Pland Scrub-up guide here.

Lead times and costs are key factors in deciding which product to specify. If a Contractor is ordering for a new hospital, it’s not uncommon for orders to exceed 50 troughs. If only the premium Trinidad version is specified, then lead times can be stretched to 12 weeks due to the manufacturing process, factory capacity, and labour content. In comparison, the Sola budget version is available in around 2-3 weeks from the date of order. Pland recommends the involvement of Infection Prevention and Control within the healthcare establishment before making a selection, as it may be possible for a mix of Trinidad and Sola to be ordered depending on where they are to be installed.

Pland Stainless has become an expert in the production and supply of stainless steel hospital scrub-up troughs for healthcare. It is one of the few manufacturers to produce them in the UK and is now the market leader in this specialist area.