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WATER SYSTEM HYGIENE


W.E.T’s six-stage Hygiene 20 Shower Management system, in detail.


n Disinfectant chemical not able to penetrate thick biofilms.


n Bias towards de-scaling rather than disinfection.


n Lack of quality control processes, and therefore inconsistent procedures.


n Hasty procedures, relying only upon a single chemical disinfection. In addition, having safe methods of working in accordance with COSHH regulations is a significant challenge for healthcare providers.


Organic matter left behind W.E.T’s research has shown that following hand and bucket cleaning, organic matter is left behind in the hoses, which goes on to become a food source through a process of necrophagy for pioneering bacteria coming in from the mains supply. Therefore, hand and bucket cleaning processes could actually be exacerbating the problem of microbiological proliferation in shower hoses.


Alternative solutions


In 2010, it was widely broadcasted through an estates alert by the Department of Health that flexible water supply hoses may have an enhanced risk of harbouring harmful microorganisms. Evidence pointed towards problems with the materials used to manufacture the products, such as EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer rubber). In many cases, healthcare providers resorted to replacing under-sink flexi hoses with fixed plumbing. To date, flexi hoses installed on showers have not come under the same scrutiny. This may be because they can’t be ‘designed out’, and were believed to be subjected to an effective and regular cleaning regime. One of the ways that the market has responded to this problem is via the use of disposable antimicrobial shower heads and hoses, but this – in our view – is an over-engineered, expensive, and wasteful


solution. During W.E.T’s research, it was also observed that in some cases, the actual hose being supplied under these contracts was not actually impregnated with the silver ions, again as a result of the market focusing too much of its attention of the shower head instead.


Launched following a pilot An alternative solution being adopted by NHS Trusts and facilities managers alike is an innovative service offered by W.E.T, developed and launched following a successful pilot in 2017. Our Hygiene 20 Shower Management system overcomes the challenges of the existing procedures, and has been evidenced to achieve superior cleaning performance in trials undertaken with microbiologist Professor Anthony Hilton, Professor of Applied Microbiology, and Deputy Executive Dean of the School of Life & Health Sciences, at Aston University.


W.E.T’s new production facility in Tamworth can manage the cleaning of tens of thousands of showers, more economically and effectively than any other known process available today, and is proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria.


Gary Parkinson


Gary Parkinson is managing director of water hygiene and Legionella compliance business, Water Environmental Treatment Ltd (W.E.T). Having previously worked in the hotel industry, he is ‘passionate about customer service’, and believes a pragmatic approach should be taken to achieve compliance. The company retains long-standing relationships with high profile clients nationally, and also continually looks to attract new business in sectors including healthcare, retail, and housing. To support its mission, it invests in research and development, and in ‘introducing innovative services to the market’. Hygiene 20 Shower Management, its latest development, is designed ‘to help clients manage thousands of showers in a more effective way’.


October 2018 Health Estate Journal 97


(Replacement showers cost approximately £6-8/unit, whereas Shower Management works out at £4/unit with no waste). The Hygiene 20 Shower Management solution is an innovative six-stage process available to NHS estates teams, who can outsource the cleaning of their showers via a ‘collection, clean, and return’ process. The showers are collected from sites, inspected, barcoded for audit purposes, and sent through the six-stage shower management process – from decontamination to final pasteurisation – before being returned to site.


What’s next?


W.E.T is continuing its research, highlighting the need for an alternative, sustainable solution to prevent the risk of infection and recontamination of shower heads and hoses in healthcare settings. We believe that a combination of a suitable and improved product design with antimicrobial properties, combined with an effective shower cleaning system such as Hygiene 20 Shower Management, is sure to be the most-effective and compliant solution, alongside effective water hygiene control schemes.


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