Leading tap and shower manufacturer for healthcare, Bristan, has announced it will be developing ‘a ground-breaking white paper on the current state of infection control for water delivery products, based on the insight of industry stakeholders’.
The report will be compiled from the responses to a survey which appears as an insert in this issue of HEJ, and is also accessible online. It will appear both in printed copies of the November 2017 issue, and on the HEJ website (www.healthestatejournal.com). Open for responses until 30 September (all those completing the questionnaire will receive a £10 Amazon voucher), the survey will investigate the experiences of healthcare professionals including infection control specialists, facilities managers, specifiers, ‘maintenance staff, and more’, to ‘develop a snapshot of contemporary infection control based on feedback from those on the frontline’.
Bristan said: “As one of the most complex elements of healthcare premises management, it is unsurprising that infection control, as applied to water delivery, is one of the most hotly debated issues, and has one of the broadest spreads of guidance documents. The report is thus expected to reveal a number of differing positions within the healthcare community, potentially offering new insight into the key challenges around effective infection control.”
The report will invite opinion on a number of controversial topics, including clearer definition of the role of ‘competent person’, respondents’ attitudes towards TMVs, and whether the government should introduce one lead guidance document on water delivery infection control. It will also highlight how infection control for fixtures such as taps and showers is conducted UK-wide, and the daily challenges faced by infection control personnel. By gauging the responses to questions around time and financial resources, maintenance routines, and infection control strategy, the report will reveal common denominators in how stakeholders balance the pressure to maintain high infection control standards with possible budget restrictions and time constraints.
Bristan hopes ‘to draw insight which reaches beyond today’s infection control, and looks towards the possible measures of the future, drawing on the needs of healthcare professionals’
Chris Tranter, specification product manager, said: “As a company manufacturing water delivery products specifically for healthcare, Bristan is acutely aware of the vital nature of infection control within these fixtures. We know, however, that there is very little information available around how infection control is being undertaken across the board. By developing this report we hope to shed light on the present landscape of infection control for water delivery products, draw conclusions around how it can be improved, and determine what manufacturers – among others – can do to make life easier for those tasked with managing infection control in the healthcare environment.” To complete the questionnaire, see the insert in this issue, or visit https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SZ768QY
