A call for multidisciplinary competence in water safety

The UK government has announced that five hospitals constructed mostly using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) will be rebuilt by 2030 as part of the New Hospital Programme, to 'protect patients and staff safety'. The five hospitals are Airedale in West Yorkshire, Queen Elizabeth King's Lynn in Norfolk, Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire, Mid Cheshire Leighton, in Cheshire, and Frimley Park in Surrey. This is on top of two of the worst affected hospitals, West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, and James Paget Hospital in Norfolk.

The NHS has asked the government to prioritise the rebuilding of these hospitals given the risks they pose to patients and staff — the full extent of which has come to light since the New Hospital Programme was first announced in 2020. These new assets need to be designed and built with patient safety as the principal, immovable priority. Nowhere is this more pertinent than with systems and equipment utilising water, for which the design, construction, and operation of the healthcare built environment is a serious risk factor. Hot and cold water systems need to be planned, built, and maintained correctly to minimise opportunities for contamination, and staying on top of every stage of the project is a near-impossible task that Water Safety Groups (WSGs) will always struggle to have a complete overview of. This is why a focus on education and specific practical competencies that may affect water safety must flow right from the beginning of the project through every stage of its lifecycle if we are to prevent contamination of water systems from occurring.

Competence isn't just about delivering more training; rather, all stakeholders involved in the design, build, and maintenance processes need to be competent for their duties. They also need to be able to demonstrate these competencies via good, well-kept records. It isn't just about knowing the risks; it's about understanding how they relate to a contractor, cleaner, or clinician's specific job role, and applying best practices across a range of different scenarios. BS 8680:2020, Water quality — Water safety plans — Code of practice contains some very helpful advice for the design process, and for checking the competency of contractors and service-providers.