Ensuring the best UPS system performance

One topic of universal concern that has been created by the COVID-19 pandemic is the pressure being felt by healthcare staff of all disciplines. While risking their own safety and working in demanding conditions, they also have the constant worry of being overwhelmed if admission rates increase exponentially. Power problems can occur anywhere, anytime, in any electrical system, regardless of the design standards employed. Accordingly, it may be tempting to build in the highest possible resilience across an entire healthcare estate to avoid any risk to patient safety or business continuity arising from a power loss. However, realworld budgetary or space constraints typically make this approach unrealistic. In developing or reviewing policies to support critical life-supporting equipment, and other less obviously critical, yet still essential, equipment, healthcare estate managers should consider the guidelines set out in the Department of Health’s Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 06-01 guidance, Electrical Services supply and distribution document. It details how to design in solutions that carefully balance each area’s critical resiliency needs against costs.

HTM 06-01 in more detail

HTM 06-01 is a component of the Government’s Health Technical Memoranda, which provide comprehensive advice and guidance on the specialised building and engineering technology used in healthcare delivery. The design process should verify that single points of failure leading to loss of electricity supply are minimised by providing the appropriate level of resilience at the point of use. HTM 06-01 defines three power supplies for use across a healthcare estate: primary, typically from the energy supply company – this is supplemented by a secondary supply, such as a generator or batteries, and tertiary power supply, in the form of a UPS or battery system, which constitutes a further supplement. The HTM considers two aspects of risk arising from a power outage: