Managing Critical Systems is Often a Challenging Risk
Everett, Simon (2024) Managing Critical Systems is Often a Challenging Risk. Health Estate Journal, 78 (8). pp. 67-70. ISSN 0957-7742
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Abstract
Critical ventilations systems (i.e., those serving areas that cannot function safely without said ventilation systems; for a full list see HTM 03-01a, para 4.31 ) in healthcare premises, when designed, installed, and maintained correctly, help control the spread of airborne pathogens through the dilution and removal of contaminated air. Not all systems comply with current standards, and even some of those may not meet their design specifications – going unnoticed until their annual verification. For Estates teams, managing risks associated with legacy equipment is a significant, and complex challenge. Assessing the condition of Air Handling Units (AHU) regularly is important from a maintenance perspective, but it’s also crucial for effective lifecycle management because early warnings can help avoid costly and sometimes catastrophic failure of the equipment, which in turn poses risk service interruption, infection control issues and other safety considerations. NHS Estates’ teams are often competing with other capital requests and often clinical needs trump infrastructure, but is this because of a lack of understanding at a strategic level? And what happens when infection rates in operating theatres soar and Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) teams investigate the root cause? From an Estates’ perspective, ensuring that AHUs have been maintained to the correct standard is vital, then. The plant should be performing to criteria laid out in HTM 03-01, but this is might not always be the case – particularly with respect to plant installed prior to the most recent guidance. There should be an annual verification and performance testing conducted which is compared to the validation figures obtained at the time of installation and commissioning. The values measured must achieve a minimum of 80% of the original air-change rate (HTM 03-01b, para 4.16). The HTM makes the point that systems nearing end of life may reduce in performance: “it is to be expected that over the lifetime (typically 20 years) of a ventilation system its performance will gradually reduce...” (pg. 24, part B). However, HTM is clear that equipment that is not performing to the required criteria should not be used. In this instance, what options must Estates’ teams consider? In this article, we will discuss the pitfalls facing Estates teams, focusing on critical ventilation air plant, and suggest strategies for managing capital budget expectations, IPC risks and operational and compliance considerations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | HVAC, AHU, Healthcare Ventilation, CVPAR, UCV, Infection Control. |
| Divisions: | Applied Science, Computing and Engineering |
| Depositing User: | Hayley Dennis |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Nov 2024 16:00 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Nov 2024 16:00 |
| URI: | https://wrexham.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18232 |
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