Case Study - Guernsey Hospitals Adopt NEW Legionella Management Solution

Guernsey Hospitals Estate Managers at Guernsey’s Princess Elizabeth Hospital have installed TME’s TC Wall Ports as part of their legionella risk management compliance strategy, enthusiastically adopting TME’s TC Wall Port System to simplify testing of hard-to-access pipes. It’s cheap to install, produces instant results, fewer false negatives and crucially, removes the need to take down panelling or work at height. Water Safety Technician, Roger Le Tissier: “The size and spread-out nature of our site makes a supply on demand hot water system impractical so what we have instead is a hot supply and return system where hot water is kept constantly flowing around the loop. Our Water Safety Plan requires us to have a minimum temperature on both supply and return, which is so much easier with the TC Wall Ports because we don’t have to remove the panels to get the results.” How does the system work? TC Wall Ports are miniature, wall-mounted thermocouple sockets which speed up and simplify temperature testing of hard to reach locations like concealed pipework including TMVs, subordinate loops and high-level water storage tanks. Each port measures just 52 x 52 mm and houses either a single or double thermocouple connector, linked to any given water outlet using a length of fine wire with a fixed surface, air or immersion sensor. Temperatures are taken by simply plugging a hand-held thermometer into the port, delivering instant results with no loss of accuracy from up to 20 metres away. Double TC Wall Ports are the most recent addition to TME’s Legionella Range, featuring two thermocouple inputs instead of one, offering an ideal solution for hot and cold pipe monitoring. TME MD, Tom Sensier: “TC Wall Ports are quick and easy to install and even easier to use. The results are instant and there are also far fewer false negatives as the fine wire sensor is left taped in situ directly attached to the pipe surface.” Alongside a number of UK NHS Trusts and Local Authorities the States of Guernsey, have been early adopters of the system. “We’ve been very impressed with the Wall Port System,” says Clive Martin, Head of Estates. “Both the single and double wall ports, which we use with TME’s legionella thermometer kits and dual purpose surface/immersion probes.” TC Wall Ports have been installed especially to help monitor subordinate loops, one of the most difficult challenges in water safety management. “We have over 800 subordinate loops alone, and many are located behind closed panelling, which previously would need removal every time a temperature was taken.” What about versatility? TC Wall Ports are compatible with any thermocouple input thermometer although for manual spot checks TME recommends its MM2008 with integral 1 and 2 minute timer - particularly useful for running water tests. They are also ideal for paperless temperature recording, easily achieved by applying a label with a unique configurable barcode to each port, used to record and store temperature readings with TME’s MM7000-2D Barcode Scanning Thermometer. Crucially for Water Safety Plans, using a barcode to record temperature checks is ideal for proof of flushing as it proves that recording has actually taken place, reducing the possibility of human error or falsified results, while maintaining a body of data for analysing compliance. For continuous 24 hour monitoring and temperature profiling, the ports are also compatible with thermocouple input data loggers. Is the system affordable? With unit costs as low as £16-25 per water outlet the affordability of the TC Wall Port System speaks for itself. Tom Sensier: “The low cost of TC Wall Ports makes them a very affordable option for both retro-fit and new-build. Use them to complement an existing BMS or to plug the gaps where none exists; solve problems on an individual ward or install them across your entire estate. Long term savings in time and labour are guaranteed.”