Drainage: ‘prevention is better than cure’

Nick Reilly, director at UKDN Waterflow, discusses best practice in this area for healthcare estates managers.

In any healthcare environment, it is critical to minimise the possibility of infections spreading, and, equally, to ensure the freshness and cleanliness that will provide the best possible conditions to help patients recover quickly. Drainage is, of course, one of the key means by which waste is removed from any building, and hospitals and surgeries present a significant challenge in terms of keeping drains free from blockages. The obvious reason for this is that the facilities are used heavily by members of the public, and, as a result, they are subject to the same challenges faced by other large public buildings such as schools, sporting facilities, and universities. The challenge is, of course, that there is no way to control what is thrown into the toilets, and invariably a wide range of items, such as paper towels, nappies, feminine hygiene products, and food wrappers, find their way into the drainage system. This kind of usage can potentially create problems even in the most robust and well-maintained drainage systems, so any issues with the system – such as slight collapse, misalignment of the pipes, or tree roots growing into the line – will quickly be exposed, and can often give rise to a major blockage. Such an occurrence can be very disruptive in any public building, but in a healthcare environment, where the users of the facility are often in a fragile condition, it can potentially be extremely harmful.

Containing pathogens