BOLTON-based medical products manufacturer Vernacare is in line for a top national healthcare excellence award tonight .

Vernacare is a finalist in the Medilink UK Awards for Partnership Working with the NHS — having won the North West regional final in December, 2013.

Vernacare marketing director Emma Sheldon said: “We are honoured to have an opportunity to compete with the UK's most innovative businesses in the national awards.

“We must pay tribute to the support of NHS Trusts in helping us to develop and bring to market our pioneering new VernaFem disposable female urinal, which is improving continence care for immobile patients. The product offers a safer, more dignified, cost and time-saving method of toileting — providing a real alternative to catheter-isation, bedpans and pads.”

Vernacare's product development partnership with the NHS involved testing the prototype at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust's advanced Lancashire Simulation Centre, which provided a realistic clinical environment.

Other Trusts, including Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Southport and Ormskirk, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, also helped to develop VernaFem during its specification phase and to assist with extensive patient and staff evaluation prior to market launch.

As a single-use pulp product VernaFem helps prevent cross infection, increasing patient safety and helping to reduce the spiralling cost of healthcare acquired infections.

Its ergonomic design empowers patients to toilet themselves with little or no assistance from healthcare staff.

The female urinal is made from recycled newspaper at Vernacare's UK production facility.

As such, it can be disposed of sustainably using pulp disposal units, also manufactured by Vernacare.

By using this hygienic disposal method, hospitals can also improve their environmental performance since, after use the pulp breaks down into a fine watery slurry that is discharged in the waste water.

The Medilink UK Awards national final takes place at The Med-Tech Innovation Expo in Coventry.