NHS UK, which oversees the Ambulance and A&E receiving hospitals, needed to replace its inflatable clinical decontamination units (CDU) and supporting ancillary equipment. They tasked the Ambulance Service Association (ASA) to go to market to identify the most suitable designs and suppliers for delivering the nation-wide upgrade program. 

M2S Director, Stuart Adamson, partnered directly with the ASA to explore the design of a new CDU, setting up a bespoke system trial at Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The ASA released a tender to three hand-chosen companies who were asked to supply their own CDU designs for trial with the Scottish, London and North-West Ambulance Services. The results of these trials were then carefully analysed to assess which equipment design best satisfied the operational criteria set down by NHS UK for national roll-out. 

Ultimately, the CDU solution created by Stuart Adamson was chosen as it best met all the key system requirements. This included: speed of deployment; robust design; easy-to-use accessories; and ongoing support for equipment and personnel. In addition to overseeing the design and delivery of the new system itself, Stuart wrote and delivered the initial training package, as well as the ongoing maintenance plans for each Ambulance Service. To ensure the equipment always performed as required when deployed, M2S offered a full-service support package to each regional Ambulance Service along with regular refresher training. As staff turnover in hospitals is very high, a custom Decon Provider Training Course was also delivered by M2S to A&E Staff responsible for responding to decontamination incidents across the UK. 

Between 2004-2006, the UK Ambulance Services purchased 86 CDU systems with supporting ancillaries, totalling 172 deployable shelters. Two decades on, the systems remain in service with Ambulance Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) across the UK – a testament to the fit-for-purpose design and through-life support provided for both the decontamination equipment itself and the staff responsible for using it.