More than ever the risks of transmission of resistant and virulent bacteria to patients in UK hospitals are increasing and MRSA is endemic in most London hospitals with any patient who has been transferred from another hospital now assumed to have picked up this organism.

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Against this background of concern highlighted by the Control of Infection advisers, it was essential to evaluate safe use of ceiling recessed chilled beam devices for use in a new flagship NHS teaching hospital in areas where full air conditioning systems were not considered critical for clinical performance. At the time these systems had not been used in the UK hospital environment before and so product evaluation work carried out in conjunction with DSSR Consulting Engineers involving visits to existing healthcare installations primarily in Swedish hospitals which helped to assess suitable system design conditions and essential ongoing cleaning / maintenance considerations for this key PFI contract.

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The same development work was subsequently incorporated into HTM 03:01 Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises design guidance which was used as the basis for demonstrating compliance with CQC guidelines when a passive chilled beam installation was selected for a well-known Central London hospice which required comfort cooling to be retrofitted into an naturally ventilated building experiencing summertime overheating in patient areas.