Take better care with clean air

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) cost the NHS an estimated £1billion each year. However, when you consider the loss of productivity and payment of benefits, the cost to the UK economy is estimated between £3-11billion. Certain HCAIs are still on the increase in hospitals, yet those responsible are failing to understand the necessity to regularly clean ventilation ductwork in the fight against them, despite the fact that research has proven the link between poorly maintained ventilation ductwork and the spread of airborne infections.

Harmful germs, such as MRSA, Staphylococcus Aureus and Clostridium Difficile can be carried through ventilation systems and thrive on flakes of dead, dry human skin – a component of hospital dust that can build up in ducts. Biological agents from outside a building, including fungal spores and pollen grains, and particles generated indoors, including faecal material from dust mites, also accumulate in ventilation ducts. Such microorganisms only require nutrients, oxygen, a little moisture and temperatures between 15oC and 25oC to grow, making hospital ventilation ductwork the ideal breeding ground for HCAIs. By establishing a regular programme of hygiene maintenance, including routine inspections and cleaning of ventilation ductwork, hospitals can fight back against the spread of infection. 

In fact, hospitals are duty bound by legislation to prevent the spread of infections in line with the requirements laid down in the Health Technical Memorandum 03-01. This focuses on the operational management and performance verification of specialised ventilation systems in healthcare premises and advises on best practice and maintenance procedures. The Department of Health clearly states: "Increased health risks to patients will occur if ventilation systems do not achieve and maintain the required standards. The link between surgical site infection and theatre air quality has been well established.”

Improving theatre air quality

System Hygienics has recently completed a challenging, but vital ventilation ductwork cleaning project at Gartnavel General Hospital and the Western Infirmary, both in the West End of Glasgow. The contract, for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, involved thoroughly cleaning the ductwork that supplies fresh air to 18 busy operating theatres – 12 at the Gartnaval Hospital and six at Western Infirmary, as well as cleaning around 20 toilet extract systems in the two hospitals.

We were working on critical operating theatre ventilation systems and could, of course, only do this delicate work while the theatres weren’t in use. By scheduling work mainly at weekends, we were able to minimise disruption during the project, which was completed over a six-week period. We also needed to programme the job carefully to ensure we had access to all areas at the times that were most convenient to the client and this involved considerable consultation with the hospitals’ estates managers.

The Jetvent cleaning method

Our team cleaned and disinfected the ductwork using our Jetvent powervac system, a remote cleaning method that employs compressed air and a powerful filtered vacuum to access and clean areas that would normally be out of reach. By using the Jetvent, our engineers were able to reach up to 50 metres of ductwork from a single point, utilising existing maintenance and inspection openings – suitable for fast and effective cleaning. Once the cleaning work was completed, they took microbiological samples to confirm that the ductwork was clean enough to meet the current stringent standards.