WATER SYSTEM HYGIENE & SAFETY
is often the task of Estates directors charged with handling water safety from an infrastructure perspective, who will employ Authorising Engineers (AEs) or independent advisers (IAs) to advise and audit systems of work. Some WSPs have particular suppliers and products listed, which have been tried and tested, and among the trusted suppliers to the NHS is Armitage Shanks, as it has proven delivery and installation of a dedicated and well-respected range of Part M-compliant sanitaryware products that many in the sector are familiar with. The background of an IA or AE should also be scrutinised to determine how they define their role, and for evidence of their own Continuing Professional Development (CPD). What roles and projects have they been involved with? How have they kept up their CPD? Are they a registered member of a professional body? It’s a high bar, but a good AE should have a wide variety of competencies, and IHEEM has some helpful advice to assist those either thinking of employing, or those intending to become, AEs. The ability and willingness to challenge
what’s happening on worksites and on wards is a useful barometer of competence across a range of different job roles – it shows an awareness of best practice, and the ability to recognise it (or the lack of it) in situ. Contractors with this level of competence are worth their weight in gold, and that has led some Trusts to consider approaching them to work in their in-house teams. The rationale behind this isn’t just about reducing overheads and fees paid to third-party providers, but establishing that level of consistent competence on subsequent projects, and seizing
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Elise Maynard
Elise Maynard is an independent consultant for the water and medical devices industries, having previously chaired Ideal Standard’s and Armitage Shanks’ 2022 Water Safety Committee, and an adviser for Water Safety Groups both in primary care and acute NHS Trusts. She has served as the Chair of the Water Management Society, and was awarded a Fellowship in recognition of her services to both the Society and the industry.
Elise’s expertise has also been called upon at a governmental level, working as part of the steering group for HTM 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises. As a committee member for BSI she has had input into a number of water quality standards, including BS 8680:2020, Water quality – Water Safety Plans – Code of Practice, and BS 8580-2:2022, Risk assessments for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other waterborne pathogens – Code of Practice.
A registered biomedical scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), she is also a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), of IHEEM, and of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), where she is an active member of the Water Special Interest Group.
opportunities for well-informed partners to raise standards across the board. WSGs have also recognised the power of bringing engineering teams ‘in house’ to help them deliver that consistency.
A safer future The New Hospital Programme facilities will treat some of the NHS’s most vulnerable patients, who must be the focal point around which new and existing facilities are commissioned, designed, constructed, and operated. Achieving this change in focus means bringing everyone together right from the beginning of a project, and building their competence with regard to water safety, rather than just training, as the bar for entry into the project. It’s time to challenge and be challenged
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at every stage – for architects, contractors, and installers, this can involve going against years of experience or just what feels natural. Competence checks need to be a routine task for supervisors and senior members of staff in order to maintain high standards. In the face of a water system’s infinite number of moving (and not-moving) parts, and countless opportunities for contamination, it can seem an unassailable task, but this is where a competence-based approach can be a WSG’s biggest asset. Establishing a multidisciplinary base of competence across all stakeholders in a project will ideally result in a safer and more easily managed water system, making it a crucial but manageable element of everyone’s role.
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September 2024 Health Estate Journal 55
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