HEALTHCARE WATER SAFETY
that meet their budgets, while also delivering the peace of mind they need. It’s taken an investment to get the team and infrastructure in place to do that, but we’re excited about what the future holds when it comes to product and service working together.”
Future focus
And what of the future? Aside from continuing improvements in service, where else do the three water control specialists see the next innovations coming? Stephanie Lee says she expects the design of products ‘to become more and more important in healthcare’, as facilities focus on patient experience, as well as compliance with guidelines. She said: “Conversations are now focusing on creating healing spaces that promote wellbeing and positivity. Cleanliness and washing will be a big part of that. That’s a very different requirement to technical compliance, and makes aesthetics and design an equally important consideration.”
Eoin McQuone agrees that design is an area that has had more focus, and expects that to continue. He said: “In healthcare, the first focus is always on functionality, because of the stringent requirements we must meet, but that does not need to come at the expense of good design. In recent years, we’ve developed a new approach to design, and that will be pushing the innovations of tomorrow.” Water efficiency is another area where Stephanie Lee thinks there will be a growing demand, as institutions in both the public and private estates face requirements to use water more efficiently.
Water use and efficiency There is already an HTM guidance document (HTM 07-04), that deals with water use and efficiency specifically, that includes measures for estates teams. “We’re seeing water utilities pushing for further water efficiency, so it will be interesting to see where this goes next,” she said, adding that flow restrictors are among some of the measures identified in HTM 07-04, and that the Rada Acu already features different modes that can contribute to water saving. In surgical mode, when it is being used by medical staff, for example, it is set to run for exactly three minutes – the time required by staff to wash their hands pre-surgery. In non-clinical applications, the tap can be set to ‘patient mode’, so that it will only run if someone has their hands under the spout.
Stephanie Lee added: “There is a balance between efficiency and cleanliness, but there will always be room for improvements. We have a good track record in responding to legislative demands and guidelines, so if things
62 Health Estate Journal February 2019
The HSE’s ‘L8’ guidelines specifically link temperature and infection control.
change, we’re confident that we’ll be able to step up.”
Digital innovation
All agree, however, that the key innovations will come in further applications of digital technology, with the Internet of Things (IoT) the next logical step in this journey. The Government has already earmarked IoT technologies as an area of focus across healthcare, and trials are up and running to assess their potential. In Surrey, a two-year project has been started that will use technology to enable dementia patients to live in their own homes for longer. Individuals and their carers will be provided with wearable sensors, monitors, and other devices, which will combine to monitor their health at home. Another trial has been set up in South West England to improve diabetes care using the latest IoT technologies.
“In water controls, the digital technology itself is already there, and is being well used,” said Eoin McQuone. “In recent years, some facilities have networked our digital products via building management systems, and are seeing the benefits of the data they derive from that. Connecting digital technologies via the ‘cloud’ is the next step. It opens up a whole new world in terms of accurately monitoring how products and facilities are operating, and identifying efficiencies and improvements.”
Stephanie Lee says she is equally excited by the potential of the technology. Picking up on Eoin McQuone’s points, she said: “The Internet of Things is going to have a huge impact, and I think when estates teams get under the skin of what it has to offer, the speed
of change is going to be fast. Our parent company, Kohler, is innovating in the residential sector with IoT-enabled baths, taps, WCs, and other devices. We’re seeing adoption of those technologies very quickly in the residential markets, and that will follow in commercial markets, where it has even more potential because of the size and scale of premises. I think IoT could result in greater sharing and collaboration across different sectors too – transferring learnings from other commercial sectors into healthcare, and vice versa.”
A ‘fully networked’ world Matt Whiting also sees enormous potential in a fully networked world, and the benefits this can bring in improving service and continuing to make maintenance programmes more specific and more targeted. He said: “Service and maintenance programmes are already becoming more sophisticated in how we work with customers, but IoT technologies will create a huge step change. Not only will these technologies enable us to derive data from every single device, but we will be able to do that remotely and provide remedial actions direct to estates teams. It has the potential to make sure that the water system is optimised at all times, achieving compliance and hitting agreed targets.”
The enthusiasm of the team is clear when it comes to looking to the future, and there are no signs of Rada slowing down in its drive to innovate. So, will Rada still be focusing on healthcare 50 years from now? “The company is in fact only 80 years young,” said Eoin McQuone. “We don’t plan to stop any time soon.” hej
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