The NHS is under pressure to cut emissions and reduce costs while still retaining the standard of care expected of the service. This is no small task for one of the largest organisations in the world.
Luckily, it’s not alone when it comes to finding the solutions that will allow these parallel reductions – by working in close collaboration with manufacturers, the healthcare sector can benefit from, and have a hand in creating, the technological solutions it needs to reach its goals.
The healthcare sector can benefit from, and have a hand in creating, the technological solutions it needs to reach its goals
Water is one area in which these opportunities for collaboration can’t be passed up. The NHS uses huge amounts of water to support its strict hygiene standards – with mixers requiring consistent cleaning and maintenance to operate properly.
Not only does this require a huge financial investment to service each mixer and ensure it meets the hygiene requirements of the NHS, but it’s also a large time investment for staff who are required to flush taps consistently – adding to the NHS’s considerable carbon footprint.
Driving up the efficiency and sustainability of the water systems is a huge priority in the NHS’s journey to net zero, but doing so while retaining the safeguards in place to protect patient safety is a significant challenge. In this context, cost savings and improvements in efficiency are worth their weight in liquid gold.
The multidisciplinary approach
Cutting carbon while retaining robust safeguards against infection isn’t just a challenge for clinicians, or even for facilities managers, installers, or cleaners.
Assessing the scale of the challenge for even a few minutes reveals the breadth of multidisciplinary collaboration required to really manage risk across the entirety of a water system.
For example, infection control must be a priority from the very start of the design and construction stages of new facilities and everyone involved must have a specific understanding of what infection control and risk assessment means in the context of their job role.
This includes the specification stage and it means this multidisciplinary collaboration involves manufacturers too.
Water is one area in which these opportunities for collaboration can’t be passed up
Fostering a close working relationship across disciplines and sectors, and facilitating the conversations needed on water safety and sustainability is central to elevating the base level of competency and uncovering solutions to the hygiene, cost, and sustainability challenges the NHS faces.
There are many potential solutions to the issues the NHS is facing, however there are a number of barriers to implementing these potential fixes. Cost needs to be a consistent consideration, along with bringing stakeholders onboard across a huge organisation that is often slow to evolve.
This is further complicated with the need to consider the involvement of the private sector with the NHS, and the need for cooperation at every stage.
This includes working to develop everything from water-saving and hygienic bathroom fixtures to new biocides for use in healthcare water systems. Whatever the path to a financially and environmentally sustainable health service, the healthcare industry and manufacturers are undeniably better together.
Mixing it up
In terms of cutting both costs and emissions, it’s a marathon not a sprint for the NHS, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t small changes that can be made now to make water systems more effective.
This means embracing new solutions from manufacturers and implementing them efficiently and consistently to start reaping the benefits in the near future.
Armitage Shanks has recently added its Comfort SQ pressure balance valve (PBV) mixer to its Markwik 21+ range to provide a lower maintenance, lower cost option to NHS trusts.
In terms of cutting both costs and emissions, it’s a marathon not a sprint for the NHS
This non-thermostatic mixer has the advantage of being a sequential mixer, meaning it dispenses hot and ambient cold water using a single lever, keeping water flowing for both supplies and prevent stagnation.
The PBV technology works by compensating for changes in water supply pressure to maintain water temperature using a ceramic ‘sleeve and shuttle’ system; when a pressure change is detected, the shuttle moves within the sleeve, increasing or restricting the hot and cold supplies to achieve a new pressure balance and a consistent outlet temperature.
While all taps and mixers in healthcare environments must be checked periodically, PBV taps can help reduce maintenance costs as they are classed as manual taps, and are not subject to the stringent maintenance plans stipulated for TMVs (as laid down in HTM 04-01: D08 Supplement), while still meeting the changes likely to be proposed in HTN 00-10 Part C (expected to be published in 2025).
PBV mixers are an important example of how cost reductions can be achieved through small changes
PBV mixers are an important example of how cost reductions can be achieved through small changes. However, these taps should not be seen as direct replacements for TMV mixers in all healthcare environments, which remain the gold standard with regard to infection control and hygiene.
Instead, PBV mixers should be utilised in non-critical care areas of a healthcare facility, subject to a suitable risk assessment.
Swapping TMV mixers for PBV taps where appropriate can help NHS Trusts make considerable financial and time savings, but it is just one of many small steps that the NHS can make towards a more efficient and sustainable service that still upholds its high standards of hygiene and care.
It’s a chance for water safety groups to work proactively with manufacturers and Armitage Shanks has made it as easy as possible to make the switch. The new PBV mixers have plug-and-play functionality that allow them to be installed with minimal effort.
A more efficient future
The NHS has made significant strides towards its net zero goals, but there is a long way still to go, and the pressure to reach them while also increasing cost efficiency is substantial.
PBV mixers should be utilised in non-critical care areas of a healthcare facility, subject to a suitable risk assessment
The service’s relationship with manufacturers is invaluable in this endeavour as a source of expertise, but also as a sounding board for technological solutions proposed by both sides.
Top image: Markwik 21+ Comfort SQ panel mounted mixer
