Managing washrooms efficiently and safely

Functional safety and ease of maintenance are a prerequisites for the water systems within healthcare facilities – where systems must be kept running smoothly, and free from hazardous levels of pathogenic microorganisms. Given the age and diverse nature of the NHS estate, however, estates and facilities managers are often working with complex building layouts where new-build and ageing properties may well integrate in an unpredictable manner. Against this backdrop, how can they take a holistic approach to safe water management across their extensive sites? To demonstrate compliance with regulations and healthcare-related legislation, and ensure that, for instance, healthcare estates management and healthcare engineering practices are in line with HTM, HSE, and other key guidance, requires accurate record-keeping, monitoring, and auditing. Even in a digital age, this can involve considerable paperwork, increasing bureaucracy for time-poor estates teams. Of course the safe and effective management of a hospital’s water system is not purely focused on reporting and safety, but also on ensuring the clinical supply to numerous clinical and non-clinical departments is maintained uninterrupted, and that – especially against today’s difficult financial backdrop – consumption is monitored to, for example, minimise instances of leakage, and ensure that water is being used judiciously, which also help lower bills.

Many elements

There are thus many elements for those operating and maintaining healthcare water systems to consider. Whether – based on the history of the water system at their site – their overriding focus is on ensuring that waterborne pathogen levels never reach levels of concern, or reducing consumption and the resulting financial outlay, or indeed on both, estate managers seeking to make improvements often start with a complete review of water usage, identifying – both through reporting and user feedback – the key areas for improvements, and opportunities to achieve their goals. The Estate Management team at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in London, for example, did exactly this before meeting with Conti+ to share its vision and understand how the company could help the team achieve it. The thorough review led to a structured and considered approach to the safety and monitoring of the hospital’s water management systems.