Rapid testing technology puts London Trust in control

With input from the Trust’s associate director of Engineering, Louise Clark, Nigel Otter, Marketing manager EMEA at IDEXX, discusses Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust’s successful use of two of the company’s rapid microbiology systems to test for, and identify, Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ‘in-house’, in the water systems of its two largest London hospitals. Using this testing technology has enabled the Trust to implement, and confirm the impact of, remedial actions in the shortest possible timeframe.

Healthcare estates and facilities managers must be alert to the dangers of waterborne bacterial contamination, as it has the potential to lead to serious infections, especially among immunocompromised patients, such as the elderly, people undergoing treatment for cancer, people in burns units, or premature infants. Rapid, accurate, and regular testing of water systems for bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella is vital to ensure that any contamination is detected as early as possible, so that remedial action can be initiated before any risk to patient safety arises

Louise Clark, associate director of Engineering at Essentia, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, in London, explained: “Water services are there to support clinical care, and it is therefore imperative that outlets remain in use. Across our estate, we have 10,000 thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) and approaching 18,000 outlets. So, as a Facilities manager, if you are coordinating the response to a Legionella or Pseudomonas problem, you cannot afford to waste any unnecessary time before determining the appropriate steps of remedial action.”