A 30+% increase in pupil numbers has prompted a college to further enhance its level of care, with stateof-the-art hygiene facilities.
Elms Bank Specialist Arts College in Bury is already ‘on the map’, being a national teaching school and rated ‘outstanding’ for its secondary education provision for young people with complex learning and physical disabilities. As a result, pupil numbers have continued to grow over the past few years, from the original 160 up to 210. To appropriately accommodate students, it has opened a new, two-storey extension, ensuring accessibility throughout via use of latest technology.
The technology extends to pupils’ personal care, with the inclusion in the new building of three hygiene rooms, with equipment supplied by Closomat and installed by Saunders & Taylor.
Each of the rooms is equipped with a Closomat Palma Vita wash & dry toilet with touch-sensitive operating switch, electrically height-adjustable basin, full room hoist, plus a shower with shower seat or changing bench. The Palma Vita – manufactured by Closomat – looks like a conventional WC yet has built-in douching and drying, eliminating the need for the user or their carer to wipe clean after toileting. Usually operated via flush pads mounted on either side of the cistern, the unit can be controlled also via alternative mechanisms if required, including the touch-sensitive switch which needs only light hand or foot pressure.
Accessibility is paramount at Elms Bank, and we have made the most of advancements in technology – state-of-the-art lifts and hoists, automatic door assists, and push-button and sensory activation to allow everyone to access the entire, and develop.
explained Elms Bank Business & Resource Manager Joshua Beaver-Gallagher.
All of our students require various levels of special care re hygiene, yet many have or want the independence to care for themselves in everyday life. By providing the hygiene rooms, students have the necessary facilities for their dignity to be maintained and respected, with as much or as little help as required. No two students are the same; the flexibility the Closomat provides allows our students to maintain dignity and independence whilst using the hygiene room, more than a conventional WC would.
Closomat has over 60 years’ experience in delivering personal hygiene solutions. The company has developed a range of equipment and support services that today meets every need, including height adjustable basins, andchanging tables.
Uniquely, the products are backed up by in-house support, from assessment of requirements, design of an accessible bathroom or washroom to legislative and budgetary requirements, installation commissioning of equipment, and lifetime maintenance. Full details of equipment are available on the company’s website.
