A new central endoscope reprocessing unit formed via the conversion of an existing room within the central sterile services department at The University of North Tees Hospital, Stockton, which also serves the nearby University Hospital of Hartlepool, has been equipped with four BES Decon automatic endoscope reprocessors, supplied with sterile water via an EWS (Environmental Water Systems [UK]) reverse osmosis (RO) system.
Endoscopes are placed in cassettes within the AERs, reprocessed, dried, and stored, with no additional handling, and thus remain in a sterile environment until required. Following the AERs’ installation, the project’s second stage entailed providing the reverse osmosis water supply to the new facility, where equipment space was, the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust concedes, ‘very limited’. It was also essential that there be no interruption to essential endoscopy and other reprocessing services during the work. The RO system needed not only to fit into the available space and still efficiently service the equipment, but also to be a duplex system based on 100% duty/standby operation, and to offer fully automatic programmable thermal sanitisation. Alongside having the capacity to cater for the department’s further expansion, it needed to be able to supply 1,200 L/hr RO water at an instantaneous flow of up to 200 L/min, and to provide a contingency top-up supply to an existing purified water storage tank. EWS said: “From past experience, thermal sanitisation of an ambient temperature water purification system was considered the best option for feeding the AERs. The combination of regular thermal sanitisation, plus delivery of the purified water via an orbitally welded stainless steel ring main, has been proven to consistently achieve and maintain HTM2030- compliant bacterial levels. “We worked closely with BES Decon to supply a system that meets the new equipment’s water demands, fits into the space provided, is serviced as required, and has been installed and commissioned in the very short timeframe required.” The EWS equipment includes a duplex RO system with a 20 m stainless steel distribution ring main. Each unit provides 1,500 L/hr, and can thus not only supply 100% of the current total requirement, but also has the spare capacity to manage future demands. The two units operate on duty/standby mode, automatically alternating in the duty role to ensure regular and equal usage.
