What is the background information?
Bev Barr, practice manager at The Boulevard Medical Practice, was concerned that her premises were not adhering to section 10H of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirement for controlling the risk from Legionella bacteria in its water systems. Bev contacted her local MWS office in Halifax and arranged for a qualified assessor to attend her premises and undertake the assessment.
More about the parties involved and help that was offered from MWS
The Boulevard Medical Practice is located close to Halifax town centre. The building was previously used as a school and was converted into a medical practice in August 2011. A new water system was installed during the refurbishment. The site has numerous thermostatically controlled taps and outlets as well a shower. Due to the nature of the building a large percentage of visitors to the site will fall into “at risk” groups.
Managed Water Services have experience in undertaking risk assessments in this type of environment and were able to offer Bev and her team references for their peace of mind. The practice management team were also shown examples of other risk assessments that Managed Water Services had carried out so they knew what type of document to expect. Using mobile hardware the assessment was carried out within three days of receiving the go ahead from Bev. The report was then completed and emailed to Bev within a further 24 hours, satisfying the CQC requirement, ensuring they were covered legally and ticking the box on the audit report.
Summary
The Boulevard Medical Practice, like any other workplace, has a duty to protect its staff and visitors to the building. Managed Water Services continue to work with the site management ensuring the risks from the site’s water systems are minimised. This is achieved through web based monitoring, visual inspection, the implementation of a site water management book and regular review meetings. Bev is very satisfied with the service received from Managed Water Services and has recommended the company to several other medical practices in West Yorkshire.