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DAVID STEPHENSON – FREELANCE HEALTHCARE WRITER, UK FACILITY UPGRADES


Refurbishing department without closing it down


British freelance healthcare writer David Stephenson explains how St. George’s Hospital in Tooting, London refurbished a working endoscopy reprocessing department without closing it down or affecting its working lists, or trying to squeeze a temporary mobile unit onto an already crowded site during the pandemic.


Undertaken at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, this project to refurbish a working endoscopy reprocessing department included: replacing the floor coverings and repairing the floor, removal of defunct and old service, white rock cladding all walls, replacing all electrical services lighting, ceiling, and plumbing and installing new equipment within the department. The unique feature of the logistics was undertaking these combined tasks within a limited time: each late Friday afternoon the department was made available for the upgrade; it was then handed back - fully functional – to the users at 7.30am each Monday morning.


Deputy head of estates and senior


compliance projects manager Sandy Sayandan had already identified potential improvements to the endoscope decontamination unit at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. When the trust’s authorised engineer for decontamination (AE(D)) and Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (JAG) report highlighted issues to be corrected, Sayandan suggested that instead of working to HTM01-06 the trust should aim for Best Practice. “The director agreed with me and the


plans to take the scheme forward. I knew what was required and some of the teams that might be able to handle the project,” he said. The comprehensive scheme required


new floors, walls and ceilings, lighting, interlocking doors, improved air handling and pressure differentials, changes to the water supply and drainage, new sinks and more. All this had to be achieved without affecting the operation of the department. “To ensure that the department could continue


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Vicki Hedley (left), lead nurse for endoscopy services, and Sandy Sayandan (right), senior compliance projects manager, in the recently refurbished endoscope decontamination unit at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.


reprocessing scopes, we needed the work to be done on weekends,” said Sayandan. “We looked at how we could implement the plan with the scope of work. I chose Garth Rowbottom and SSD Limited because of Garth’s flexibility and the quality of their work. We agreed a programme of work to achieve best practice at the hospital. “Vicki Hedley, lead nurse for endoscopy


services, was fully committed to implementing the improvements but was hesitant that the work could be carried out without affecting the daily operation


of the decontamination area. Garth and I had worked together previously, and we knew it was a realistic programme that could be achieved. Vicki met Garth and was happy and comfortable that we could go ahead as planned. The infection prevention and control team and estates directorate also committed to get the job done.”


David Stephenson


Previously editor of both Inside Hospitals and Hospital Bulletin, then consultant editor at Hospital Times and Hospital Matters,


David is now a freelance writer specialising in best practice case study articles for healthcare, specifically: decontamination, infection prevention and control, estates and


facilities. This editorial specialisation followed an earlier career in advertising and marketing.


A new challenge The scheme was due to start in January 2020 but had to be delayed for various reasons. Then COVID-19 hit. “It was a challenging time. Health and safety were our top priority. We had to undertake risk assessments and only issued Permits to Work for the different tasks involved when we were sure that it was safe to do so. “Although there were not as


many patients throughout the pandemic, the EDU (endoscope decontamination unit) was still working five days a week. So, Garth and his team began work at


IFHE DIGEST 2022


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