What progress is the Government making on improving ventilation in NHS properties?

Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP (Wokingham) (Con): To ask theĀ Secretary of StateĀ for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on improving air extraction, air filtration andĀ UVĀ cleaning inĀ NHSĀ properties.

Edward Argar, Minister of State at Department of Health and Social Care: The ā€˜Health Technical memorandum – Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings (HTMĀ 03-01)ā€™ was issued on 22 June 2021, which includes updates guidance on ventilation to manage infection risks and the technology available. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/

All trusts must have an Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) designated by the trust management to provide independent auditing and advice on ventilation systems, to review documentation on verification and validation and witness the process as necessary.

In April 2021, updated guidance on the cleaning ofĀ National Health ServiceĀ facilities was provided in ā€˜National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2021ā€™, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/B0271-national-standards-of-healthcare-cleanliness-2021.pdf

While ultraviolet (UV) cleaning has been considered, it does not replace the need to physically clean the environment and therefore it has not been recommended instead of physical cleaning. In addition, it cannot be used in occupied rooms, therefore its applicability in an operational healthcare environment is challenging. However, we understand that someĀ NHSĀ trusts deploy UV cleaning based on local cleaning needs. As new research and technology becomes available, the NHS will update existing or provide additional guidance.

23 Comments

  1. Iain Gill
    March 3, 2022

    this is not something that should be dealt with by Ministers or MP’s, the whole concept of a top down state run NHS is spectacularly not working.

    just copy the Australian or New Zealand healthcare models this is getting silly.

    1. Nottingham Lad Himself
      March 3, 2022

      It is possible to learn from non-English-speaking nations too, you know.

      There are some quite good systems just over the Channel.

      1. Mike Wilson
        March 3, 2022

        What progress is the Government making on improving ventilation in NHS properties? ā€“ John Redwood’s Diary

        Don’t be silly. Since Brexit it is illegal to speak or read another language.

        1. Nig l
          March 4, 2022

          And in a similar vein well done to Dixie and of course Andy for displaying their pathological obsession with Brexit by crowbarring it into a comment about locator forms.

          1. dixie
            March 6, 2022

            @Nig l
            You crowbarred in an unfounded accusation that I was being condescending when I asked a simple, straightforward question. It seemed reasonable to then return the favour.
            And now you crowbar in yet more unfounded bs in a totally unrelated blog.
            I’d almost forgotten about Brexit but monomaniacal idiots like you, Andy and the clown from Cardiff/Nottingham keep bringing it up.

      2. Peter2
        March 3, 2022

        They speak English too.

    2. Hope
      March 3, 2022

      Come on JR, you already made it clear Johnson gave them extra billions of our taxes then asked what they are going to do with it!

      Johnson will put his finger in the air hope, then lie.

      1. Nig l
        March 4, 2022

        +1

  2. alan jutson
    March 3, 2022

    I suppose we should take that answer as, no action I just pass the buck to others to do as they think best..

    1. Nig l
      March 4, 2022

      Spot on. Zero answer/zero definable outcomes.

      And to further confirm the standards or rather lack of them this government is happy with, Gavin Williamson will be knighted for failures in public service being sacked twice and being frankly useless allegedly only getting jobs because in a past life as a Whip, he knew where the bodies were buried.

      Obviously nothing to do with Boris bribing him in return for support. When partygate was at its height, the whips asked MPs what would they want in return to support Boris, in other words, how can he buy you off.

      An unnamed MP said a knighthood. I wonder?

  3. Everhopeful
    March 3, 2022

    Apparently none.
    One is still required to wear a mask when attending GP, hospital, vet, dentist.
    Why?
    And why are the main proponents of mask wearing now screeching for FREEDOM for Ukraine?

    1. glen cullen
      March 3, 2022

      Its strange that the laws to wearing masks have been repealed and yet my GP says (via text) its mandatory to wear them when visiting ? Is this now the norm for the NHS….are they now our new lord & master

  4. Everhopeful
    March 3, 2022

    Strange though.
    By the very nature of hospitals etc. surely any method of virus protection ever deemed necessary should have already been in place?
    And apparently the uber cruel rule of no visitors still persists in our PAID FOR hospitals.

  5. Mark B
    March 3, 2022

    Good afternoon.

    All trusts must have an Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) designated by the trust management to provide independent auditing and advice . . .

    Another pointless paper / bureaucratic exercise.

    1. alan jutson
      March 3, 2022

      Mark

      Surely It will no be a separate position it will probably be completed by the maintenance engineer, or general dogs body as part of their normal duties one would hope.

      1. Mike Wilson
        March 3, 2022

        Surely It will no be a separate position it will probably be completed by the maintenance engineer, or general dogs body as part of their normal duties one would hope.

        Don’t be daft. It will require, firstly, a committee to be set up to consider the course of action. This committee will appoint a Ventilation Monitoring Executive who will be on a salary of Ā£80k and who will produce some spreadsheets to put before the committee each month. This executive will need someone to source an air conditioning company (has to be open tender, you can’t just use whoever maintains the air conditioning at the moment) to come up with proposals. The proposals will need to be considered by a sub-committee before being presented to the committee. Separately, a budget committee will be assembled who will apply to the main finance committee for funds. Finally, after about 2 million pounds has been wasted, someone at a meeting says ‘Why don’t we open the windows?’. The rest of the committee jump on that person, give him a good kicking and tell him to go and work in the private sector if he is going to come up with bolleaux like that.

  6. Bryan Harris
    March 3, 2022

    Next question:

    How effective is ventilation in hospitals – as anyone measured it, and what percentage of trusts have complied fully with the ‘guides’?

    1. Mike Wilson
      March 3, 2022

      How effective is ventilation in hospitals ā€“ as anyone measured it, and what percentage of trusts have complied fully with the ā€˜guidesā€™?

      That sounds like a Ā£2 billion question to me. Sod the patients.

  7. Fedupsoutherner
    March 3, 2022

    Our GP waiting room as had a new ventilator installed. Not sure why we are all still wearing ineffective masks though when it’s been proved they don’t work.

    1. glen cullen
      March 3, 2022

      I bet the taxpayer funded that new ventilator

    2. Mike Wilson
      March 3, 2022

      Our GP waiting room as had a new ventilator installed.

      How do you know that? Don’t tell us you have been in a GP waiting room. Ours has been converted to a studio flat and is being let out at Ā£600 a month. Who needs waiting rooms when there are no appointments?

      1. Fedupsoutherner
        March 3, 2022

        Actually I’ve been in my GPS waiting room about 5 times recently. The ventilator is a new addition. Lucky or what? We have a great surgery with some good GPs.

    3. Nig l
      March 4, 2022

      Mines worked, I havenā€™t caught anything.

Comments are closed.