Award-winning Horne Optitherm Thermostatic Tap selected for North Middlesex PFI
14 September 2009
The Optitherm thermostatic tap from Horne Engineering, which won Best Interiors Product at the 2008 BBH Awards, has been selected for the North Middlesex Hospital PFI.
Horne recently despatched the 300 taps required for the new build phase of the project. An estimated further 400 Optitherms will be required for the refurbishment of existing facilities in the Trust’s estate.The North Middlesex PFI contract is for the provision of new accident and emergency, acute, critical care including geriatric wards and a diagnostic and treatment centre. The facilities management contract will last for 30 years.
The main contractor on site, Bouygues UK, were very keen on the Optitherm from the outset due to its ease of installation, quick and simple maintenance procedures and subsequent negligible disruption to the delivery of healthcare. These features allow Bouygues UK and Ecovert FM, the facilities management arm of Bouygues UK, to keep a tight control of costs over the 30 year term of the project.
The benefits for the user were then explained to stakeholders at the Trust and the final decision required input from project managers, board members, nursing and infection control staff.
The selection process also included a visit to see an existing installation and speak with nursing , infection prevention and maintenance staff at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital. Features particularly liked by nursing staff were its ease of use, even by patients with limited hand mobility, and that the issue of scalding and hot surface temperatures was removed.
The one touch operation was also highly favoured for avoiding recontamination after hand-washing. Oxford Radcliffes' maintenance team felt that the Optitherm was the most cost effective option available, although the capital cost of the Optitherm was slightly higher than the alternatives, the total cost of the whole installation was actually much lower. This very positive response was enough for the Optitherm to be fully accepted by the North Middlesex Trust.
The Optitherm has features in its design to encourage best hand washing practice, safe and accurate temperature control with no start-up transient, regulated and conditioned flow and patented dual lever arrangement that effectively allows ‘hands free’ operation for infection prevention purposes. The dual lever also features a unique anti-vandal clutch mechanism that prevents breakage or shearing of the head gear if a user or patient is heavy handed or intentionally tries to abuse the fitting.
A cold water bypass of the thermostatic mechanism provides cold water for drinking, teeth cleaning or cold water hand wash if required. These features allow the tap to be flexible in its application within a hospital – for example, for clinical wash-hand basin in the ward, or be the method of cold and hot water delivery in en-suite patient rooms.
The benefit in using the tap in various locations within a single hospital means that the cost of holding spare taps or parts is greatly reduced and therefore more cost effective.
WH Foster & Sons, integrated washroom system manufacturers, are installing the 300 Optitherm on the new build phase of the project. The design of the Optitherm is such that its installation can be broken down into two stages. WH Fosters will fit the spigot to their panel systems at their premises near Birmingham. The panels, complete with spigots, are then installed on site, the water supplies connected and the pipework flushed through using the Optitherm spigot flushing boot. After other contractors (for example flooring or painting) are finished on site, the Optitherm tap bodies can be fitted to the spigots and commissioned. This final fitting and commissioning process should be complete in a matter of minutes per tap. This method of installing the Optitherm is beneficial since the time required for each stage can be accurately estimated (and therefore costed) and the procurement costs can also be spread over the course of the overall installation.
September 2009 sees Horne Engineering Ltd celebrating 100 years of trading. Experts in temperature control, Horne developed the very first blending valves in the early 1920s, which have evolved to become the thermostatic mixing valves installed in hospitals and schools today. The same thermostatic technology is built into their range of surface mounted shower panels and more recently into the award-winning Optitherm.
Angus Horne, Managing Director of Horne Engineering said, ”We are very proud to have won the prestigious Building Better Healthcare award with the Optitherm and delighted that Bouygues UK and the North Middlesex Trust have selected the Optitherm for such a high profile project. The quality of design, materials and workmanship of Horne products is second to none and this quality is backed up by exceptional technical support and customer service”.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 03/12/2008 - Horne Engineering Ltd. wins Building Better Healthcare Award
- 13/02/2008 - As simple as falling off a bike!
