The NHS have sent British design teams to hospitals all over the country to look at how their equipment is being used, and then devise a safer alternative.

Furniture and fittings have been redesigned without any nooks and crannies – a breeding ground for lethal bugs such as MRSA and C. difficile. The NHS hope the new designs will reduce the risk of infection in hospital wards.

The Guardian report today that Peter Wilson, a microbiologist who sat on an panel to assess the new products, has said,

“If you can make the whole environment smooth and easy to clean with a single wipe, you're going to reduce the number of bugs on staff hands and also on patients."

Keytools speak to NHS customers every day and recommend the CleanKeys keyboard as simple solution to reducing superbugs within computer equipment. A super smooth surface makes this one of the world’s easiest keyboards to clean, and extremely resistant to bacterial growth. Discover more at www.cleankeys.co.uk.

The NHS will unveil their new designs today at the Design Council's offices, and are expected to go on trial in hospitals later this year.

Matt Cutts of Google, has been singing the praises of the Evoluent Ergonomic Mouse on his blog recently.

It's clear why so many people love the Evoluent Mouse. Looking around the Keytools office, most people here prefer it too!

Matt Cutts, Head of Google Web Spam Team, says,

"If you work with computers daily or have any kind of carpal tunnel, I highly recommend a vertical mouse. I’ve used one for years. I’ve tried many other types of mice, and I won’t use anything but a vertical mouse now. I think Evoluent makes the best mice by far."

I suffered with RSI in the past myself, and I wouldn't go back to one of those horrible traditional mice. It feels great, and since using it I haven't been in any pain.

You can get an Evoluent Mouse for yourself here

12 - 14 May 2009
NEC, Birmingham
Stand J61, Hall 1

Dedicated to Safety & Health?
You'll find everything you need under one roof at Europe's largest Safety and Health event.

*See the BRAND NEW CleanKeys - finalist in the BSIF Safety Awards
*Meet over 300 exhibitors, including the Keytools team, who can tell you what's new in the world of assistive and ergonomic technology
*Attend informative seminar sessions and discover how to increase efficiency and productivity, and reduce costs
*Meet and talk to others with a passion for Safety and Health, like us!

Put it in your diary
"There's never been a more important time to utilise every resource, especially people. Visit us at the Safety & Health Expo and you'll discover why 10,000 customers across Europe trust Keytools to supply their assistive and ergonomic technology."
Phil Guest, Sales and Marketing Manager, Keytools

Keytools look forward to welcoming you to Keytools stand J61, Hall 1.

A new report which has examined absence from work shows that MSDs are your biggest cost - a staggering £2.5m per year.

If you don't know what an MSD is ... read on?! And if you do ... great! What are you doing about it?

What is MSD?
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a painful disorder affecting the back, neck and upper limbs. Badly adjusted workstations and overuse of computers are to blame.

Act quickly with RSIGuard
The need to act quickly is vital to ensure your staff get help, and you save valuable time and money. The best solution for organisations like yours is RSI prevention software. RSIGuard reduces repetitive computer activity by helping you develop a healthy way of working. It's easy to install and costs less than you think ... more

Reaping the rewards
Department for Transport, HM Land Registry, Ofwat, Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea and Communities & Local Government are already benefitting from RSIGuard. Here's our most recent case study

Try it
Evaluate RSIGuard in your organisation by calling our Public Sector Hotline on 023 8029 4508. Or you can email here for a quote.

The NHS seems to be under constant media attention. Reports out today show that the new health super regulator has blasted a group of NHS trusts for their failings in infection control.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found 21 trusts which fell below acceptable standards for cleanliness and decontamination.

The CQC said that the trusts would face fines and possible closure if improvements were not made.

All 388 trusts were assessed against hygiene standards and cross-checked these with surveys and previous inspection reports. Improvements have been demanded in the 21 cases.

Barbara Young, the CQC chair, stated, “They can do more to strengthen their approaches to infection control and help prevent outbreaks.”

Keytools can offer support to hospitals, and anyone else, who would like to prevent the spread of infection through the use of computer equipment.

Keytools have launched a new keyboard, the CleanKeys, to support infection control. It’s unique in its design and its “clean-ability”. A smooth glass surface makes it one of the world’s easiest keyboards to clean, and extremely resistant to microbial growth.

The keys are touch-sensitive allowing CleanKeys to be touched directly or through gloves. The keys are printed on the underside of the glass and can detect the slightest touch of a human finger!

To clean, simply spray and wipe the keyboard with disinfectant. With no nooks or crannies to harbour dirt and bacteria, CleanKeys contributes towards a hygienic environment.

To find out more, please visit http://www.cleankeys.co.uk/ or call Keytools on 023 8029 4500.

We’re delighted to hear that the CleanKeys has been selected as a finalist in this year's BSIF Product Innovation Awards.

The BSIF (British Safety Industry Federation) were obviously impressed with CleanKeys’ unique, smooth surface design and its "clean-ability."

We’ll have to wait for the winners to be announced at the Safety and Health Expo in May. Keytools is exhibiting, giving all visitors the chance to try out the revolutionary keyboard for themselves.

Hopefully we'll see you there.