DECONTAMINATION FACILITIES
at another hospital, which had to be rectified and then samples taken for laboratory testing to show that it was within guidelines. To avoid the protracted timescale and reduce the possibility of cleanrooms operating while out of guidelines, HFS wished to consider the merits of continuous particle counting. It was felt that this would immediately highlight any issues, and, once any necessary remedial action had been taken, provide a quick reassurance that performance was back within guidelines. Continuous particle monitoring might also lead to energy savings – for example by identifying when it might be possible to turn down fans. Knowing the comprehensive nature of the NHS Orkney system, HFS discussed the issue with neQis, which quickly set about developing a solution and locating a supplier for the particle counter hardware. “Our AE(D) (Authorised Engineer – Decontamination) put us forward as we’re probably the most advanced hospital site in Scotland,” explained Gary Drever. “At the time, in common with other hospitals, we were doing six-monthly counts with contact and settle plates. The installation didn’t take long. We had to fit two units onto the wall in the packing room and add some data points for the connectivity into the cloud network and electrical plug points. It took Rob Willington, neQis’s Technical Services manager, an hour to set up the system and to do some other neQis work.
Praise for continuous particle count facility “The continuous particle count is brilliant,” Gary Drever added. “It’s that sensitive you can tell when someone enters the cleanroom and when they leave. We’ve always been within limits.” Widely used in UK hospitals, neQis
is currently supporting over 220 sites, monitoring 1,154 machines, and averaging 28,000 cycles per week, and has an archive of over 4.2 million cycles to date. All the neQis system’s archived data is quickly available on an integrated management dashboard. Historical information is easy to find, as the interface is simple to use, with clear search facilities. These have links to trended chart data, while insights into all activity over the previous 24 hours are quickly available, with an option to view as far back as the very first cycles logged. The dashboard enables the creation of
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Key aspects of the CDU’s operation are monitored by neQis systems.
production reports showing machine performance criteria. Users enjoy peace of mind, as the neQis system is hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud-computing platform, providing security, integrity, limitless storage, and scalable resources. Azure allows neQis to use the optimum and fastest systems available.
Remote monitoring Gary Drever explained: “Our system gives a complete single-point overview of our whole unit from one screen. I can see what stage of a cycle each machine is at – washer-disinfectors, autoclaves, and endoscope washer- disinfectors. In addition, I can see the temperature in the storeroom, the pressure in just about every room in the unit, and, of course, the particle count in the cleanroom. I can monitor the system here, and HFS can do the same in Edinburgh and Glasgow. This is the future. I think continuous particle monitoring will become a new standard, and it will be possible to actively environmentally monitor every new-build from anywhere.” Impressed with the success which neQis has delivered, the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control team has installed pressure monitoring in the High Dependency Unit’s isolation rooms, while after learning of the success in CDU, the Renal team has fitted its RO plant with monitoring for thermal disinfection. Describing the development of the continuous particle counting solution, Rob Willington, neQis’s Technical Services manager, said: “It all happened at the
Widely used in UK hospitals, neQis is currently supporting over 220 sites, monitoring 1,154 machines, and averaging 28,000 cycles per week, and has an archive of over 4.2 million cycles to date
66 Health Estate Journal April 2022
height of the pandemic through ‘Teams’ meetings with HFS and NHS Orkney. Particle counting was new to us. We’d never built anything to do that job.
Compatible hardware “We found some hardware that would be compatible with how our system works. If it goes out of ‘spec’, the system will send an email to anyone who’s logged on. They have a very good cleanroom at Kirkwall. neQis was originally fitted into the CDU’s washer-disinfectors, sterilisers, and endoscope reprocessors for independent monitoring, for independent product release. At the time, hospitals were generally wanting neQis for compliance.” Rob Willington added: “The system
is now cloud-based software, offering dashboards with analytics, which show ‘pass’ and ‘fail’ and KPIs, as well as integration with track and trace and compatibility with every manufacturer’s machine. We now have hospitals on board for those benefits, rather than just because of product release. “Other hospitals have installed pressure
monitoring and various additional monitoring features. I believe that some are also considering adding continuous particle counting.” Reflecting on the success of the partnership, Gary Drever added, “neQis is a very good company to work with. My main contact is Rob Willington. If there’s no answer when I call, they will ring back within five minutes, and any messages are answered within 15 minutes. They always reply very quickly. We’ve even replaced the odd part or two with their telephone support. Rob does a yearly service on the neQis system. If there are any issues that require attention, he usually works out of hours so as not to cause any disruption to the department. They’re so good to work with. I wouldn’t be afraid to recommend neQis to anyone.”
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