REFURBISHMENT
The old floors were removed. Right: New Neocare height-adjustable sinks and steel storage cabinets were installed.
Sandy Sayandan continued: “A potential source of cross-contamination was a fire door, installed between the dirty and clean sides. I spoke to the Fire officer, who agreed that it could be removed. This created more space. There are closers on the doors, which are now interlocked. Pressure differentials are now in accordance with best practice. There was only one pressure sensor previously, which was incorrectly located. Now there are three different measurements, all in the correct locations: dirty, clean, and the lobby. The dirty area is negative pressure, and the clean area and lobby are positive pressure. An independent ventilation company undertook some of the re-balancing.
Pass-through hatch
“We had a wooden pass-through hatch, which was non-compliant. Garth Rowbottom removed that, and replaced it with a Neocare pass-through hatch. A Neocare chemical storage cabinet was also installed. There was no facility for storing endoscope hub connectors. Now we have a Neocare Scope Tidy rack. Staff can clearly see which hub connectors are required, and it allows the valves to drain properly. We gave the area around the endoscope washer- disinfectors a facelift. It’s all now easily cleanable. An electrical junction box is now boxed-in, so that there’s nowhere for dust
to collect. All the work surfaces and storage areas are now stainless steel, so they’re also easy to clean.”
He continued: “Garth Rowbottom and his team are now undertaking routine work in the Sterile Services Department; they’re doing the weekly tests for the washer-disinfectors and steam sterilisers.” As project manager, Garth Rowbottom oversaw the work of the Trust’s appointed contractors for various aspects of the scheme. Sandy Sayandan said: “The standard of cleanliness achieved was so impressive that the Mobilisation manager of the Trust’s contract cleaner said: ‘We clean the endoscope reprocessing area every day. At first, I was unaware that the scheme was underway. The area was left so clean and tidy.’ Overall, Garth’s team kept their work self-contained. The builder’s clean was to a standard rarely seen. Garth and his team were always polite and conscientious. It was a pleasure to have them on site.”
Likewise, Peter Chopyk, a director of the Trust’s electrical contractor, Newpoint, said: “Working with Garth Rowbottom was perfect. They are a good team, with excellent timekeeping. It was a well- planned scheme.”
Minimising downtime On behalf of the Endoscopy team, Vicki Hedley said: “The Endoscopy unit
was built in 2004, and the central decontamination area was the first of its kind in the country. A recent JAG decontamination audit suggested some improvements consistent with current standards. As with any project, we wanted to make sure that we had as little downtime as possible. We also wanted to ensure that the area was still operational during this time. We worked closely with Estates, Infection Control, and the contractors. Any changes to plans were discussed and agreed before going ahead.
“The department was cleaned and functional as a decontamination area every Monday. This was due to the close working relationship with Garth and his team. He and I met every Monday for an update on the progress, and to discuss any changes to plans where needed. There was no disruption to our work or machine downtime. We were very fortunate that we had decreased our workload to emergency cases only due to COVID-19. All work was planned after we had finished for the day, and over a series of weekends, when the department was closed.”
Vicki Hedley added: “Overall, we were very pleased with the organisation and management of the project. Garth Rowbottom and his team often spent long days completing work so that the
To isolate the pipework the valve was frozen. 46 Health Estate Journal July 2021
The new pipework.
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