GOVERNANCE AND COMPLIANCE
APs – a full-time job or just ‘an added extra’?
The assessment, appointment, and acceptance of the Authorised Person role can be seen as a ‘tick-box exercise’, and many APs find that the role is considered as an ‘added extra’ to existing duties and roles. Here Andrew Poplett, an IHEEM-registered Authorising Engineer for both water and specialist ventilation services, discusses the extent and nature of the role – using ventilation as the primary exemplar of duties, although he says many of the issues are universal to all healthcare engineering services.
As an independent Authorising Engineer I am frequently asked to undertake assessments for potential Authorised Persons (AP). Often these individuals are new to an organisation, or have just completed a training course, and all too often the discussion or interview reveals that the individual is already over-stretched, or working to cover a number of operational roles, and even numerous other AP roles. This makes the responsibilities of being an AP seem to be a simple ‘box-ticking’ exercise, and can mean that the matter is not given the appropriate level of consideration – not only in terms of the role and duties / responsibilities involved, but equally as regards the organisational accountability for the suitable provision of assurance and compliance. In this article I will focus on the role of the Authorised Person (Ventilation), although many, if not all, of the aspects covered will apply to a similar area of work for all of the other engineering roles which require an Authorised Person role/appointment.
What do the standards require? The HTM 00 core standard: Policies and principles of healthcare engineering, provides a very high-level overview of the role of AP: Clause 3.18 states that ‘The AP has the key operational responsibility for the specialist service. This person will be qualified and sufficiently experienced and skilled to fully operate the specialist service. They will be nominated by the AE, appointed by the healthcare organisation, and be able to demonstrate: n Their understanding through familiarisation with the system and attendance at an appropriate professional course.
n Competency. n A level of experience, and n Evidence of knowledge and skills.’
This is further expanded upon in the following three clauses, which seek to highlight the critical importance of the role: Clause 3.19 states that ‘an important element of this
role is the maintenance of records, quality of service, and maintenance of system safety (integrity)’. Clause 3.20 goes on to highlight that ‘the AP will also be responsible for establishing and maintaining the validation of Competent Persons (CPs), who may be employees of the organisation or appointed contractors’. Finally, Clause 3.21 states that ‘larger sites may need
more than one AP for a particular service. Administrative duties such as record keeping should be assigned to Specific APs and recorded in the operational policies’. For ventilation systems, HTM 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises Part B: The
management, operation, maintenance and routine testing of existing healthcare ventilation systems, stresses, under clause 2.4, that ‘Training in the validation and verification of specialised healthcare ventilation systems for Authorised Persons (APs) and Competent Persons (CPs) is available from a variety of providers’. There is a duty on post-holders to keep their knowledge up to date, as reflected for APs in their CPD record, and this HTM guidance goes on to state, under clause 2.9: ‘The AP(V) will be an individual possessing adequate technical knowledge and having received appropriate training, appointed in writing by the Designated Person (in conjunction with the advice provided by the AE(V)), who is responsible for the practical implementation and operation of Management’s safety policy and procedures relating to the engineering aspects of ventilation systems.’ Clause 4.5 of HTM 03-01: Specialised ventilation
for healthcare premises. Part A: The concept, design, specification, installation and acceptance testing of healthcare ventilation systems, also identifies the AP(V) as an essential member of the Ventilation Safety Group (VSG), while HTM 03-01 Part B specifies that the AP(V) has specific responsibilities for the management of Equipment Release Certificates or Permit to Work systems.
So what does an AP(V) have to do? While all of the following responsibilities are critically important to a safe and appropriate ventilation system, the first two roles are arguably directly linked, and the most critical:
Communication: One of the primary responsibilities of an AP(V) is to enable effective and open communications with all stakeholders. The founding principle of the Ventilation Safety Group is to ensure effective partnership working, and as the AP(V) acts as a key primary member of the group, it is essential that they work with all parties to ensure good working relationships via clear and honest communication. In the event of an issue or problem, it is far
March 2025 Health Estate Journal 27
HTM 03-01, HBN 04-01, and NHS Estates Technical Bulletin No 2024/3, are among a raft of guidance designed to ensure the safe and compliant operation of healthcare ventilation systems, and should be viewed as an AP(V)’s ‘essential standards’.
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