The Healthcare sector is comprised of hospitals, care homes, dentists and GP surgeries, many of whom rely upon water as an essential component of patient care. Aside from potable water for drinking purposes hospitals require water for laundry, sterilisation of equipment, birthing pools, surgical scrubbing and dialysis units. It is therefore essential that the sector not only has reliable contingency plans in place should mains water be unavailable but that it also ensures that it is safe for human consumption at all times. Additionally, understanding how water is used and how it might be used more efficiently could have financial benefits which can be directed into employee welfare and patient care.
At Source for Business we work with the NHS as well as some of the UK's largest private healthcare providers. In creating any water plan there are a number of areas that need to be considered.
Legionella risk assessments
Hospital patients can be far more vulnerable to infection and less able to combat it. Residents of nursing and care homes are vulnerable to contracting Legionnaires' disease due to their age, frailty and compromised immune systems.
At Source for Business, we offer a wide range of water hygiene services that ensure your business is compliant with the Health & Safety Executive's ACoP L8. We start by providing you with an up to date legionella risk assessment. This will outline any remedial actions required, as well as control measures that can be used, such as regular temperature monitoring and flushing of water outlets. 2020 more than any other year has highlighted the challenges inherent with manual sampling to record temperatures as well as flushing outlets. Consequently, working with one of our Group companies, Aquacare, we are able to install AquaTeq remote devices designed to automate these manual tasks. Removing a person from site can help to de-risk a sensitive or high risk environment. See below for more details.
Flow monitoring
Firstly, we always recommend any business using a high volume of water installs a water logger on the main meter which enters the site. This will support the building of an accurate picture of daily water consumption. Our portal creates a clear pattern of usage which can be viewed on any computer or mobile device. This cost-effective solution can prevent the waste of water and money by providing early visibility of potential leakage through its alarm functionality.
Leakage is usually easy to spot when the water pipes are above ground, but if you have a leak on your underground water network, it can run unnoticed for a considerable time.
If left to run, leaks can cost a substantial amount, running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Leaks are not always easy to locate, but we have experienced leak detection technicians who use computer aided techniques to help position the leak and we are equipped to handle any scale of repair. Some of your best allies in identifying leaks are your own employees who may notice standing water on the grounds or slight changes in pressure from taps. Educating staff on how to spot leaks, together with data which can be broken down into 15 minute intervals provides effective controls to mitigate the impact of leaks. At Source for Business we are able to provide leaflets and poster templates to help support your efforts to be a water efficient site.
Commercial heating
Ensuring the Healthcare sector has cost effective and reliable heating solutions in place is essential. We offer a broad range of heating services from simple boiler replacements, right through to complex commercial plant installations. If you are in need of assistance with any of the following areas we can help:
Pump replacements
Sometimes you may experience issues with pressure which could be the result of poorly maintained or functioning heating pumps. We can replace old heating pumps with more efficient and powerful ones without necessarily needing to replace whole systems.
Heating remedial work
We repair boiler faults, leaking radiators, burst pipes, defective radiator valves and replace old steel
pipes with new.
Plant rooms
We pride ourselves on refurbishing large commercial plant rooms. We remove old boilers and replace them with high performing, energy-efficient boilers which will reduce your heating bills as well as helping you with your green credential.
Rainwater harvesting & boreholes
Whilst not always cost effective there are certain sites that may benefit from collecting rainwater. It can be stored, filtered and then redirected into buildings and used in many applications depending upon quality requirements. These could include toilet flushing or laundry.
By using a rainwater harvesting system, some sites can reduce water usage by as much as 40%, providing significant savings on mains supplied water services.
Alternatively, it may be possible to sink a borehole on your site. Up to 20,000 litres can be extracted a day without a licence, and this can contribute to a saving of around £14,000 p.a. with a return on the original investment within a few years. A borehole does not need to be installed in a field. It could be located in a car park or next to outbuildings, depending upon the availability of underground water sources.
Emergency water
If you're unable to install either of the alternative water sources listed above, we can create an emergency water contingency plan with our contractors.
They're available 24/7, 365 days a year for all your emergency water supply needs, wherever and whenever you need it. They offer a range of services including same day and out of hours deliveries with water tankers, pallets of bottled water and deployment of bowsers or static tanks.
If your site is water critical and can't operate without a water supply, our contingency planning offers peace of mind that we will always be on hand to make water deliveries when you need it. Every critical site is entitled to emergency support from its water wholesaler so any plans must take into account their support to avoid any duplication.
