A year after the launch of Gambro DNA, the programme has delivered on its promise of service developments and new products. New products came on stream throughout the year, including the WRO 300H, our heat disinfecting single patient water unit. This was followed by the creation of a new Water Systems division to reaffirm our commitment to water quality. We also saw the launch of improved bloodline pinch clamps, 2M-PROTECT TP® double membrane bloodline technology and the Polyflux® 2H dialyser for low-weight patients.
Gambro DNA has also been the catalyst for service improvements including new Partnership Support Agreements to provide everything from telephone support and preventative maintenance kits to an on-site repair service. There have also been improvements to other forms of support, with new freephone numbers for our Customer Services and Home Care teams, and the upgrade of our technical training facilities.
Although Gambro DNA now comes to an end, we remain just as committed to developing the products and services you need. New dialysis monitor technology heralds the beginning of an exciting year in 2009 in which we will see unique advances in the treatment and management of end stage renal failure. We will keep on listening and responding, with a culture of innovation now clearly in evidence throughout Gambro.
We are proud to announce the UK launch of our new AK 96® monitor, which was previewed at the ART conference in October. This new single pump platform features heavily on operational efficiency and reliability, with our Diascan™ quality control feature for all treatments and all patients. The monitor is already living up to its promise to offer more in a simple way with successful launches throughout the APAC.
Extensive trials were carried out during 2008 in the UK, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Saudi Arabia and Canada. These verified that the AK 96® has a very intuitive user interface, meaning less time is required for training and ongoing use is easier. Another major benefit is the improved access for renal technicians to work on the monitor.
It won't be long before hospitals are able to benefit from what our new AK 96® monitor has to offer. In vivo Alpha and Beta UK field trials at the Churchill Hospital have produced positive results, with its ease-of-use proving especially encouraging.
"I am excited about this product as it is a compact system which still integrates with Gambro's portable water treatment systems to ensure the continuity of the hygienic chain," says Gareth Jones, Country Manager, UK & Ireland. "Safety has been uppermost in our minds when developing the monitor and it follows a comprehensive safety philosophy comprising conductivity measurement, UF cells, complete function checks, and an intuitive user interface and processes.
"It also delivers additional treatment features such as Diascan© which provides a quality assurance tool giving on-line clearance measurement and Kt/V surveillance for all patients, at every session.
"We had great faith that the monitor would deliver solid standard dialysis treatment and a high degree of reliability, as well as being easy to operate for both in-centre and home patient use. This faith has been put to the test through the trials."
Commenting upon the trials, Churchill's Chief Technician Andy Mosson said: "I was impressed with the clean lines of the AK 96 and our nursing team were able to adapt to its use reasonably easily. The technical team liked the improved access and layout and in terms of technical performance the machine performed well."
For more information please download the AK96 brochure
In many cases Gambro DNA is continuing product and service development activity that was already happening prior to the programme's launch. One example is the recent launch of a new tool to record all the service interventions on our products.
The new tool is the Gambro Field Service (GFS) reporting platform and it completes the process of replacing our manual records with a much improved electronic system. Simon Douglas, Technical Services Manager, explains: "This new system enhances the level of information available to our field technicians when they visit a customer's site, allowing them instant access to vital records including warranty or contract status, preventative maintenance schedules and modification levels.
"The system also enables us to better manage our spare part stocks, ensuring we can maintain customer equipment with minimal delay. There is in addition an automatic transfer of data to our back office to further ensure the accuracy of our service records."
The wide-ranging nature of Gambro DNA is clear from our investment in creating a new Water Systems division to strengthen further our commitment to all areas of renal care. The division is headed up by our new water purification specialist Becky Lacey, who joined Gambro earlier this year bringing 18 years of knowledge in the water sector with her, backed up by her scientific qualifications in chemistry and microbiology.
Becky has been involved with all the applications of water treatment in her progressive career, embracing laboratory, industrial and healthcare disciplines. She and her team will be responsible for all areas of our water quality provision, from the centralised water system approach using our established CWP range through to the single patient WRO units.
Gambro DNA is about service development as well as product innovation. So we were especially interested in the results of the recent independent survey of renal physicians, managers, pharmacists, nurses and technicians.
The results were encouraging, with an improvement on our performance compared with the previous year. We saw improvements in vital areas including the quality of our products, education and training. In fact our clinical nurses and trainers achieved the highest satisfaction rating, scoring half-way between the highest possible satisfaction level and the next second highest.
This was the seventh such survey completed on behalf of Gambro, the first of which was initiated in 2002. Areas investigated included satisfaction with Gambro's products, customer communications, technical support, customer service, and the overall perception of us as a healthcare provider.
For more information about the key findings of the survey, please download this report.
Gambro's Country Manager, UK & Ireland, used the publication of the latest edition of the company's 'Highlights' magazine to update customers on the positive contribution that investment in product and service development is making to patient care.
Gareth Jones reported that the HCO 1100 membrane has undergone extensive global in-vitro and in-vivo trials and is currently undergoing in-vivo trial within the UK. Meanwhile the WRO 300 H water purification unit was launched in the UK on Valentine's Day and has met with a very positive response for both in-centre and in-home use. Visitors to the BRS/RA Conference in Glasgow (starting tomorrow) can also get a preview of our new AK96 HD machine and more news about this product will be issued ahead of its launch towards the end of this year.
As Gareth also mentioned, these developments are only possible because of the commitment to Gambro DNA from all our employees. In February a UK company conference gave staff further opportunities to have some input into the programme, continuing our approach of staff involvement in innovation.
Gambro is pleased to introduce the WRO 300-H into our family of water disinfection systems, with automated procedures to minimise patient and caregiver involvement. It's the first product development arising from Gambro DNA: the programme enabling us to further innovate in a way that is right for UK healthcare professionals and their patients.
The WRO 300-H uses reverse osmosis, which is today's preferred method of water purification for dialysis. Its use of hot water disinfection makes it possible to disinfect efficiently without using chemicals. It has a water output of minimum 1200 ml/min at +10°C, and can be placed up to 10 metres away from the dialysis machine, providing the freedom to place the unit in another room, close to the water supply, or near the dialysis machine.
The compact machine has an automated, push-button interface to ensure easy operation and keep training times to a minimum. It's also easy to maintain thanks to simple, pre-programmed cleaning and disinfection. It can be programmed to automatically start heat disinfection at specified intervals, and has an automatic shut-off at completion of disinfection process. Meanwhile, a built-in alarm function notifies the operator when attention is necessary, and can also be set as a reminder for service and maintenance.
Gambro in the UK has officially launched the 'Gambro DNA' programme to step-up the delivery of customer-focused service and product developments.
Responding to the results of an extensive and ongoing consultation exercise, in 2008 we are building on the components that make Gambro unique: our excellence in science and new product development, our commitment to our customers, our passion for serving the renal community and our heritage dating back to the 1960s.
Managing Director Gareth Jones says: "I am excited by the fact that we have rediscovered our 'DNA' - the very things that have made us so successful over the past four decades. There's a shared commitment across the company to this extra level of focus on what healthcare professionals and their patients need from us. We are already rolling out new products and service enhancements to deliver on this commitment."
