Hospital technology and wiring accessories specialist, The Wandsworth Group, has launched a range of blue sockets to comply with NHS Medical Electrical Installation Guidance Notes (MEIGaN).
Designed for use in either bedhead trunking or medical services columns, the new socket range harnesses the Group’s substantial experience in wiring accessory design and considerable expertise in the healthcare sector. Available in switched or unswitched single or twin units, the Wandsworth MEIGaN-compliant units are said to offer a flexible solution for hospitals undertaking refurbishments or new build projects, and, in some cases, can also be retrofitted into existing trunking and medical columns.
New advice regarding blue-coloured sockets was introduced as part of the MEIGaN guidance to ensure that sockets connected to dedicated back-up power supplies are easily identifiable. This ensures that hospital staff plug in vital equipment to a UPS power source, and cannot instead mistakenly connect it to the ordinary mains supply, which could risk lives in the event of an outage.
Brian McGonigle from The Wandsworth Group says: “Due to the costs entailed in implementing the MEIGaN guidance, the pace of change has been slow so far, but our new blue MEIGaN-compliant sockets have been designed to offer maximum versatility. We have found already that some of our competitors are specifying these sockets for their own trunking and medical column installations, and we believe we have stolen a march on the rest of the sector with a range that offers choice and flexibility for any healthcare installation.”
