The role of an effective AP explained

As one of the largest consumers of electricity in the country, the NHS is exceeding its reserved capacities and putting further strain on an already stretched electrical supply network, says Kevin Furey, Electrical Portfolio manager at Eastwood Park. Here he examines the issues facing the NHS in maintaining sufficient and safe electrical supplies that will also cope with the service’s needs for the future.

The UK National Grid network is now operating with the lowest reserve capacity in living memory, mainly due to old and outdated power stations. Power station closures and network breakdowns, as well as the fact that when the network was constructed it did not allow for sufficient future spare electricity capacity to cover modern living demands, are putting considerable strain on the UK’s electrical infrastructure. The National Grid is typically running at around 5% reserve capacity during winter months; with an exceptionally severe or long winter this could drop still further, which will have the ongoing effect of pushing the nation’s electricity supply to a critical level, potentially leading to power cuts becoming inevitable.

In the healthcare sphere, installation of power-thirsty imaging equipment and other new technologies, the growth and expansion of NHS facilities, and newbuilds, are all increasing the strain on an already overstressed supply network. If the NHS hospital expansion and newbuild programme continues at the present rate, many hospitals could be at risk of power losses, due to the increased loading put on the network. Potentially this could cause problems in particular on some of the older sites, which have a poor electrical infrastructure, with ageing switchgear, or a lack of adequate generation or UPS systems for patient-critical areas.