It might look like something out of a science fiction film, but this glowing pillar of light could soon be playing a vital role in keeping Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals clear of superbugs.

Following a successful trial in September, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) is set to become the first in Kent to use ultraviolet light in the cleaning of wards and operating theatres.

The trust is in talks to buy five UVO automated disinfection systems for use at the Hermitage Lane site and at its Tunbridge Wells Hospital site in Pembury. They work by saturating a room with ultraviolet radiation, which kills or sterilises micro-organisms like bacteria by disrupting their DNA.

The units – each with 10 bulbs – could be in use as early as next year and will cut cleaning time.

After a room is thoroughly cleaned with microfibre cloths, the unit is wheeled in and six sensors are positioned. Staff control the device from outside the room, safe from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light, while monitoring the progress.

UV light disinfection takes an average of 18 minutes and is an alternative to cleaning with hydrogen peroxide vapour, which takes about three hours. Dr Sara Mumford, director of infection prevention and control at MTW, said the system would be most useful at Tunbridge Wells, which has wards entirely made up of single rooms.

She said: “We did 20 cleans and the results were really quite dramatic. We know there would be a good outcome but we wanted to see it in action at the hospital.

“This means we can do a deep clean to a standard we could never do before. It will also allow us to improve patient flow through the hospital.”

The UVO system could also play a key role in decontaminating operating theatres, which cannot be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide vapour due to their ventilation systems.

Tom Lister, environmental decontamination specialist at Hygiene Solutions, which makes the unit, said they were excited to be working with the trust. He said: “In many areas they seem to be leading the way in environmental cleaning.”

How UV cleaning works

Short wave UVC light is an effective addition to the arsenal of hospitals fighting a constant battle against superbugs immune to most common antibiotics, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and, to a lesser extent, Clostridium difficile (C.diff).

So far MTW has had just one case of MRSA and continues to see a year on year reduction in C Diff cases.

While it can never entirely replace cleaning with chemicals, the technology has gained considerable traction in the USA, thanks in part to a favourable study conducted by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

The light works by penetrating to the interior of a microbe and inactivating its DNA. C.diff is more resistant to ultraviolet light as when in harsh environments it goes into a dormant state, forming spores.