The “complex balancing act” required to manage the complete water lifecycle in healthcare facilities will be examined at three IHEEM seminars, starting next month.
Titled “Total water management within healthcare premises – Don’t let the risks slip through your hands” and being held in Leeds on 8 September, and Birmingham and London on 4 and 10 November respectively, the seminars will cover topics including key water risks and legislation (addressed by Blane Judd, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering); the engineering implications of waterborne diseases in hospital water systems – including how problems with water systems can occur, the potential implications for staff, patients, and visitors, and dealing effectively with the situation (David Harper, of Harper Associates); “Legionella – to test or not; that is the question” (Dr Nick Hill, technical director at the Water Hygiene Centre), and “How to juggle with water – the importance of total water management” (Alan Hambidge, director of Empathy EC). The afternoon sessions will also include a presentation by Graham Biggar, associate director, Property & Medical Engineering, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, examining contingency planning in the light of his own experiences following the summer 2007 floods in Gloucestershire, and a look at how estates personnel can address incidents such as an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease. For further information, T: 023 9282 3186, email: jeff.pickering@iheem.org.uk or visit www.iheem.org.uk/events
