Care homes, GP surgeries, medical centres and dental practices can present a range of water hygiene risks, particularly where vulnerable people may be exposed. Little-used outlets, thermostatic mixing valves, showers, stored water systems and dental unit waterlines can all require appropriate assessment, monitoring and maintenance.
BrodexTrident supports healthcare providers with Legionella risk assessments, water hygiene monitoring, sampling, reporting and remedial guidance to help maintain safe water systems and demonstrate effective ongoing control.
Care home residents and some patients may be more susceptible to infection, making effective water hygiene control particularly important.
Consulting rooms, treatment areas, spare bedrooms and other intermittently used spaces can develop stagnation where outlets are not used regularly.
TMVs help control scalding risk but require suitable inspection, servicing and maintenance to ensure they continue to operate effectively.
Dental unit waterlines can encourage microbial growth if they are not managed, maintained and tested in accordance with the equipment manufacturer’s guidance.
Cold water storage tanks, calorifiers, ageing pipework and poorly configured systems can create additional risks that need to be identified and controlled.
Showers, spray taps and other outlets that produce aerosols require appropriate monitoring and maintenance as part of the water hygiene control scheme.
We provide water hygiene support for care homes, GP surgeries, medical centres, dental practices and other community healthcare premises. Services can be delivered individually or as part of an ongoing water hygiene management programme.
Healthcare settings may need to consider additional guidance alongside the general requirements for Legionella and water hygiene management. This can include healthcare-specific guidance such as HTM 04-01 for the management of water systems and, for dental practices, HTM 01-05. Requirements will depend on the type of premises, the water systems present and the people using them, so the appropriate control programme should be tailored to the individual site.
There is no fixed review period that applies to every healthcare site. The assessment should be reviewed when there is reason to believe it may no longer be valid, such as changes to the water system, building use, occupancy or control measures, or following significant findings, incidents or changes in guidance.
Common risks include poor temperature control, little-used outlets, low water turnover, showers, and other aerosol-generating outlets, stored water, TMVs and ageing or redundant pipework. Dental practices may also need to consider risks associated with dental unit waterlines, while care settings may require additional consideration due to the vulnerability of some building users.
Water sampling may be required where it forms part of the site's control programme, where there are concerns about system performance or water quality, or following certain incidents or remedial works. The type and frequency of sampling should be based on the individual site, identified risks and relevant guidance.
Records should demonstrate that the water hygiene control programme is being implemented. This may include temperature monitoring, flushing records, inspections, sampling results, TMV servicing, remedial actions and evidence that identified issues have been followed through to completion.
Outlets that are used infrequently can allow water to stagnant and should be identified within the control programme. Depending on the system and risk assessment findings, appropriate measures may include regular flushing, increased use or removal of outlets that are no longer required.
