A microbiologist says that such are the abilities of today’s rapid testing technologies that ‘in-house’ microbiological monitoring and testing of hospital water systems should be within the compass of many sufficiently resourced NHS healthcare engineering teams.
Leading microbiologist, Dr Paul McDermott, highlights the importance of effective systems for monitoring water hygiene in hospitals and other healthcare premises to minimise the risk of growth and proliferation of harmful waterborne bacteria. Such, he argues, are the abilities of the rapid testing technologies now available – he focuses in particular on the workings and benefits of the microbiological testing systems developed by IDEXX – that comprehensive ‘in-house’ microbiological monitoring and testing of hospital water systems should be within the compass of many sufficiently resourced and equipped ‘in-house’ NHS healthcare engineering teams, saving them considerable time and expense.
It is often said that a holistic approach to managing water safety is required in the healthcare setting, and, in order to ensure safe water provision across a hospital Trust, a panoply of control measures must be put in place. To show how effectively these control measures are performing, a whole range of monitoring activities is required, and microbiological monitoring has an important role to play in this. Microbiological monitoring can be applied to a number of potential waterborne pathogens, but the most widely tested for are Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both of these bacteria are capable of causing lifethreatening infections in hospital patients with weakened or naive immune systems, so effective management of the risks is essential for their continued safe care. Experience has shown us that water outlets can often provide the source of healthcare-acquired infections caused by these bacteria, so meticulous attention must be paid to managing risks.
Guidelines are in place within Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 04-01 for managing the risks posed by Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These offer a framework around testing frequencies at outlets; for P. aeruginosa routine testing is recommended every six months in augmented care areas, and for Legionella, the frequency of testing and the location of testing points is based on risk assessment.
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