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Aiming for the optimal tap design

A report on a recent study by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham into dismantlable and demountable thermostatic mixing taps – part of a quest to find the optimal ‘safe’ tap design.

What is the optimal tap design to minimise contamination from waterborne or environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthcare facilities and care homes, where some of the most vulnerable patients or residents are at risk from such potentially lethal infections? In an article written just prior to last month’s publication of the new HTM 04-01, Safe Water in Healthcare Premises (2016), Susan Pearson BSc, a freelance journalist specialising in medicine and the environment, examines a recent study at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (QEHB) that suggests the use of thermostatic mixing taps that can be both de-mounted and dismantled to enable both the thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) and the spout to be cleaned separately offers a solution for infection control teams wishing to retain TMVs.

As tap design has evolved, alongside emerging understanding of transmission of Pseudomonas infections via water, a particular focus of discussion has been on the role of sensor taps and complex mixer taps, which, because they deliver water at a temperature conducive to bacterial growth, can become colonised. However, new data from a recent study demonstrates how a benchtop washer/disinfector can be used to decontaminate the latest generation of detachable taps. This protocol, which has not been used before in the UK, highlights how decontamination of tap systems incorporating thermostatic mixer valves can be simplified. 

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Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

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