WATER HYGIENE ARTICLES

Anil Madan, Non-Residential Marketing manager at Ideal Standard UK and Armitage Shanks, looks at some of the advantages of pressure-balancing valves (PBVs) in healthcare water systems. He says PBVs can offer ‘a simpler, more cost-effective, and lower maintenance alternative’ to the ‘traditional’ TMV for suitably risk-assessed environments such as non-critical care settings.

Peter Gunn, a Senior consultant at the Water Hygiene Centre, discuses the priorities for those working in engineering and estate management and clinical roles in private sector healthcare settings whose role includes responsibility for keeping their facility’s water system in a safe and compliant condition. He focuses particularly on the key steps to minimise the chances of Legionella growth and proliferation – as set out in HSE and Department of Health and Social Care guidance.

Anil Madan, Non-Residential Marketing manager at Ideal Standard UK and Armitage Shanks, reports on an Armitage Shanks 2024 Water Safety Forum hosted at the London Design and Specification Centre in Clerkenwell, which brought together experts from across the healthcare sector to explore the question, ‘How can the drive to Net Zero in the NHS be compatible with safe water delivery?’

Effective water management in healthcare estates is critical for ensuring patient safety and sustainability. Richard Braid, managing director at Keraflo, explains how advances in technology can help healthcare engineering teams monitor and maintain water safety, reduce waste, and ‘ensure that this valuable resource is on hand the moment it is needed’.

Elise Maynard, independent adviser for water safety, and Chair of the Armitage Shanks Water Safety Forum, emphasises the need for multidisciplinary competence when it comes to safely managing and maintaining healthcare premises’ water systems.

Reval Continuing Care MD, Jason Ashman, discusses the importance of only purchasing compliant water fittings for use in healthcare settings – with a particular focus on assisted bathing equipment – and sets out some of the key things that potential purchasers of such products should look out for.

Providing a clean water supply is a priority in hospital and clinical settings, but the handling and usage of associated water treatment chemicals on site can be challenging. Kieran Fleming, Business Development manager at Synthesis Water Solutions (Synthesis), outlines the main issues encountered when using such chemicals, and highlights how an innovative oxidising biocide can offer ‘a safer and easier-to-use’ alternative.

Horne Engineering reports on the positive reception given to its In-Line Thermal Disinfection Unit by the head of Healthcare Compliance at Skanska, who had been looking for an effective means of combating the persistent challenge of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospital water settings. The thermostatic controls specialist says he is now an enthusiastic champion of the technology.

Les Szabo, NSW (New South Wales) State manager at Australian water treatment specialist, HydroChem, discusses work to implement an effective Legionella risk management and prevention strategy for the hot water system at a Sydney hospital. Among the key steps taken to address the existing protocols’ shortcomings were establishing a proper sampling protocol, implementing a monthly maintenance programme for chlorine dosing, taking samples from locations on each floor – with a focus on showers, and installing a chorine dosing unit equipped with remote telemetry.