WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY
Tracking temperatures using ‘cloud’ technology
Kevin Belben, Technical Applications manager at water management specialists Cistermiser and Keraflo, discuss ‘the evolution of water temperature monitoring systems’, and how harnessing The Internet of Things is helping to improve patient safety and estate efficiency, and, he claims, offers the potential to save the healthcare sector ‘millions of pounds’ every year.
Nobody is in doubt that the next decade will see a revolution in the treatment and diagnosis of disease. We’re already seeing how the Internet of Things (IoT) is opening up a world of possibilities in medicine – from managing depression through wearable technology, and monitoring and treating asthma with smart inhalers, to giving diabetics more control over the condition thanks to automated closed loop insulin delivery. The speed with which ‘cloud’ technology is being adopted to provide solutions at every level of the healthcare sector is astonishing, so it’s no surprise that water management specialists like Cistermiser and Keraflo are embracing this technology to help estates and facilities professionals gain real-time control over their water management. As with any innovation, getting full-scale adoption overnight is not realistic, and a process of building awareness and education is vital and to be expected, especially when it comes to technology. Research supported by The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust, The Health
LinkThru TMUs (Temperature Monitoring Units) continuously monitor water system temperatures and flow events ‘24/7’.
Foundation, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, published in a 2018 report,1
has
found that although technology has the potential to deliver significant savings for the NHS, the service doesn’t have a strong track record in implementing it at scale, and needs to get better at
assessing the benefits and feasibility of implementing new technology. With increasing demands on funding, however, NHS Trusts are now having to seriously confront these challenges. I believe it’s a question of both future-proofing and learning from past mistakes.
Worst-case scenarios
The temperature monitoring units take temperature readings every 10 seconds, and automatically begin recording additional data when outlet usage is detected.
60 Health Estate Journal August 2019
Each TMU accepts up to four temperature probes (configured as two pairs), which simply affix to pipework surfaces using clips (15 mm) or cable-ties (>15 mm).
No-one likes to think about the worst- case scenario, but there’s a reason that it’s so important to track water temperature consistently in a hospital setting. In 2013, Basildon Hospital was fined £350,000 after two patients died through exposure to Legionella. During the ensuing court case, it was revealed that the hospital had been battling the bacteria for some 15 years, spending substantial amounts of money on maintenance of its water management systems. The hearing found that – following cuts to the hospital’s cleaning budget – shower heads and thermostatic valves had not been properly cleaned. Attempts had also been made to control water temperatures with super-heated pipes. The problem that can then occur is that the pipes can inadvertently warm adjacent cold water supplies, allowing the cold water to slip into the dangerous temperature range where bacteria can proliferate.
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