INFECTION CONTROL
appeal as a long-term solution to tackling COVID-19. Disrupting our way of life to such an extent that things reach a standstill just isn’t viewed as a sustainable option – either socially, or economically. The Government is already saying that if we’re going to avoid such drastic measures again, control will have to get better, and changing the fabric of healthcare buildings to better manage infection control looks set to be among the ways in which societies can respond. Industry leaders have acknowledged that COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to address those issues. Professor Didier Pittet, chair of global network, Clean Hospitals, and director of the Infection Control Programme and World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety at the University of Geneva Hospitals, echoed this when speaking at the inaugural iClean online conference in May. He said: “There has never been a more pertinent time to address infection control in our healthcare systems.” Estates teams have been under intense pressure to ensure that buildings are always working at their optimum, even as demands and risks fluctuate in response to the pandemic. Despite its hugely successful delivery, the Nightingale project revealed fears that existing facilities would struggle to cope with sudden surges in demand.
Collaboration in action Understanding the complex needs of frontline healthcare workers, estates personnel, and patients, is how we best answer changing demands. That starts with a conversation.
Working on the Nightingale project is a fantastic example of this collaboration – getting people to work together to achieve better outcomes for the NHS, for patients, and for the dedicated staff. Sharing best practice and learning from one another should sit at the very heart of creating a more successful and modern NHS. Group working isn’t new – in fact, it’s a key aim of the 2016 HTM 04-01 revisions relevant to our work. The guidance introduced Water Safety Groups – multidisciplinary teams of people from across the healthcare estate whose role is to develop and deliver a plan that identifies potential water-related hazards, consider practical aspects, and detail control measures. It’s worth noting that these groups include infection control nurses too.
It is our view that providing excellent healthcare spaces is best achieved through continuing to embrace collaborative working, and that this culture of inclusion should be extended to include the supply chain. Involving the supply chain can continue to help in
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The Intelligent Care basin mount tap’s non-touch control; Rada sees an increasing role for such technology in enhancing infection control and minimising cross-infection risk in healthcare facilities.
solving problems and keeping abreast of new trends and emerging innovations. Surely now, more than ever, that’s key – just from some of the examples I’ve given here, it’s clear that crises can lead to innovation.
Futureproofing our healthcare facilities
Everyone involved in creating healthcare spaces must work together to ensure that new innovations are accessible for the futureproofing of estates for infection control in a post-COVID world. Back in May, NHS bosses suggested that up to one in five coronavirus cases were caught in hospitals during the ‘first wave’. With lockdown measures easing, we’re starting to see more elective and outpatient services resume, but the risk of future outbreaks is still present. With this in mind, it’s imperative that infection control is built into the fabric of our healthcare facilities.
At Rada, we firmly believe that digital technologies have a key role to play in the healthcare sector’s future resilience. Teams must have the insight and support required to ensure that every element of the building is operating as it should for the best levels of infection control, without this placing undue strain on their resource.
Governments are already recognising the power of digital – tracing apps, data- sharing, and reporting systems, are viewed as integral to managing the future risks of COVID-19 outbreaks, and, as I have mentioned, increasing the use of non-touch technologies and digital
The Rada Safetherm basin mount clinical/elbow-operated tap that Rada has supplied to Nightingale facilities.
control in healthcare buildings is already being discussed as key to ensuring that these spaces have infection control at their heart.
Digitally controlled water controls Digitally connected water controls can be set to perform their own infection control regimes, such as thermal disinfection or duty flushing. ‘Smart’ products know when and when not to flush, which can help to save vital resources. Automating time-intensive tasks can free up healthcare professionals to focus on patient care, and with products recording when regimes are carried out, accurate data is there to prove that water safety and infection control standards and guidelines are always being complied with.
The benefits that digital control offers include the ability to integrate products with BMS or remote monitoring systems. This can help ensure that systems are always working at their optimum to support infection control measures. Data on how products are being used can inform best practice-led adjustments – a valuable and targeted way to ensure that healthcare buildings are always optimised for safety and cleanliness, while closely managing how water is used. A recent study in the American Journal of Infection Control showed that, while digital monitoring systems are effective in promoting staff compliance with hand hygiene guidelines, this only applies if a robust culture of hand hygiene exists within the facility.
Also speaking at iClean conference in May, Dr Ruth Carrico, Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Clinical director of the Global Health Center Vaccine and International Travel, at the
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