In 1999 the British government set a target of a 25% reduction in water use in its office and non-office estates by 2020.
NHS estates are a significant consumer of potable water and, according to NHS Property Services, between 2010 and 2017 the health and care sector reduced water consumption by 21%. However, NHSPS acknowledges that: ‘there is still a long way to go in ensuring we operate water-efficient buildings for the NHS’. 1 Carole Armstrong, Marketing manager at Delabie UK, looks at how healthcare estate teams can deliver efficient water management within healthcare facilities and maintain system hygiene.
In its pledge to become more waterefficient, NHS Property Services1 identified that the average person in England uses 140 litres per day, while a French study by the Centre for Information about Water2 estimates the average consumption per bed per day in hospitals and residential care for the elderly at 300 and 310 litres respectively. Evidently, healthcare facilities’ needs are very different from the average household, but good practice and efficient water usage will contribute to sustainable water management. To paraphrase the Building Regulations Part G2: ‘…installations must make reasonable provision by the installation of fittings and fixed appliances that use water efficiently to prevent undue water consumption.’ 3
Patient safety emphasis
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