XXXX
MEDICINES MANAGEMENT
Annual
maintenance and calibration: is it really necessary?
Michelle Rogers, sales and marketing director at Labcold, discusses recent changes to the Department of Health Green Book, chapter 3.
L
ast year, the Department of Health Green Book’s chapter 3, concerning the storage,
distribution and disposal of vaccines, was substantially revised with the latest advice for effective pharmacy fridge management. Tucked away on page 28 is the recommendation that at a ‘minimum’, the persons responsible for the vaccine refrigerator should have “a maintenance contract that allows for at least yearly servicing and calibration of the temperature gauge”: but why is this important and what in practice does this actually mean?
Pharmacy refrigerators are fitted with controllers that are more accurate than domestic fridges and ‘alarm’ if the temperature inside the fridge drops below 2C or exceeds 8C. They also display the temperature on
the front, giving a visual reassurance that all is well inside the refrigerator. However, without a calibration test, there is no proof that the controller is actually displaying the temperature accurately.
Calibration ensures the temperature inside the fridge matches the display. It involves a suitably trained technician placing a UKAS-traceable probe inside the chamber and checking that the temperatures match. A certificate is then issued giving you proof that the display is accurate and confidence that that you really can rely on the information the display is telling you. Normally, as part of a calibration visit the technician will also check the door seals and provide advice on any remedial action that needs to be taken to prolong the life of the cabinet.
Annual maintenance and calibration has been a requirement for blood product storage for many years and has reduced breakdowns and losses, thus saving money and resource.
With the contents of a pharmacy fridge similarly valuable in terms of health benefits and cost, it was only a matter of time before the same rationale was applied. Fortunately, the expertise gained from maintaining blood refrigeration means that there are experts, like Labcold, skilled in meeting the demands of calibration and maintenance of medical refrigeration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 01256 705 555 E:
sales@labcold.com W:
www.labcold.com
84 | national health executive Nov/Dec 14
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100