Undiscovered electrical faults in hospitals can threaten patient safety and increase costs. Gareth Brunton, Managing director at Bender, says monitoring technology gives estates teams real-time insight to prevent failures and improve efficiency. This technology can help healthcare organisations move from reactive maintenance to proactive management.
The call comes in just after two in the morning. Theatre 3 lost power mid-procedure. The emergency generator played its part, but the patient still had to be moved. The investigation reveals a fault that has been developing for weeks, invisible to monthly manual checks. In the morning, the team will face questions about system reliability, patient safety and why a preventable electrical failure compromised a six-figure procedure.
This scenario plays out across the NHS with alarming regularity. Behind every emergency callout, every unplanned shutdown, every compromised procedure lies the same fundamental issue — healthcare estates are hampered by limited visibility to developing electrical faults. The scale of this hidden crisis becomes clear when we examine the numbers.
With 11.2 billion kWh consumed in 2022/23 and costs hitting £12.4 bn, a 12 per cent year-on-year increase, the Building Engineering Services Association calculates £400 m could be saved through smarter energy management. Much of this waste stems from the very electrical faults that remain hidden in current monitoring approaches — inefficient systems, power quality issues, and equipment operating below optimal performance. Yet many facilities still depend on monthly manual checks and reactive maintenance, allowing faults to develop undetected until systems fail.
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