Horne Engineering says there are significant implications for infection prevention and control when engineering works need to take place within functioning hospital wards.
For planned or reactive maintenance, a Horne Optitherm thermostatic tap can easily be isolated from its water supply, disconnected from the spigot (see photo), and a replacement attached and commissioned.
Horne says: “Compare this with a manual mixing tap or infra-red operated outlet with a behind-the-wall thermostatic mixing valve (TMV).
If maintenance is required, then the wall panelling needs to be breached to access the TMV or IR actuator. By using the Optitherm and not breaching the wall panelling, the benefits include:
- Downtime of the handwashing facility is reduced to a minimum, such that nursing staff’s ability to comply with handwashing protocols is essentially unaffected.
- Time and cost savings accrue due to not having to access the wall cavity.
- Costs required to render the area clinically clean upon completion are eliminated.
