NHS70: How Adcock is helping everyday heroes deliver the National Health Service

July 5th 2018 marks 70 years of the NHS, a national celebration day to appreciate the vital role the health service plays in our lives and to recognise the NHS staff – those everyday heroes who are there for us 24/7.

Adcock is extremely proud to play a part in the delivering the National Health Service. Our cooling, heating and ventilation can be found in over 100 hospitals, health centres, dental / GP surgeries, hospices, mortuaries, laboratories, blood banks and research buildings in the UK. We’ve formed long and successful partnerships with healthcare and pharmaceutical customers and some of our projects go back several decades.

A lot has changed since the launch of the NHS in 1948, including modernisation of buildings to upgrade outdated heating, ventilation and cooling systems to attain optimum environments and improve energy efficiency. New systems from Adcock can cut energy costs by up to 70%, which is of vital importance to the NHS, and also reduce carbon emissions to meet environmental targets.

The NHS deals with every medical scenario, from routine appointments, to major surgery, to emergency care like A&E. Adcock engineers always strive to be tidy, safe and professional and this is even more important on medical sites. There are specific factors to consider such as:

• Extra care with cleanliness and hygiene
• Minimising noise and disruption
• Working unusual hours, around busy or critical times
• Respecting patients and their loved ones
• Discretion and confidentiality
• Keeping to strict schedules
• Working in and around constantly occupied buildings
• Close control cooling
• Maintaining access for emergency vehicles
• Responding rapidly to call-outs
• Value engineering to maximise budgets and energy efficiency
• Intensive procurement and clearance

To mark NHS70 we’ve summarised some of our best work here.

Hospital air handling units and A&E door heaters

At Southend Hospital, Essex, Adcock replaced five air handling units and associated services that supply the hospital Eye Clinic, Theatre 8, Pathology, Minor Ops and Mortuary. The new air handling units needed to be energy efficient and monitored by meters. All works had to be carried out in the occupied building which required close liaison with staff and contractors and the need to keep noise and disruptions to a minimum. The energy efficient units required no maintenance, using a recuperator which is 60% efficient with a summer bypass for free cooling.

The A&E department in the same hospital is a vital local resource, treating around 30,000 people a year. After securing Department of Health funding to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, Southend Hospital A&E identified the need to replace very inadequate door heaters. We advised Biddle standard air curtains connected to Daikin ERQ heat pump inverter condensing units. Additional wall sensors were also installed within the lobbies to increase control accuracy. The installation only took around 4-5 hours, during the quietest part of the day which happened to be 5am. The public were diverted through the Ambulance entrance whilst the work was carried out and vice versa for the second door curtain installation.

Close control cold rooms for medical research

Based in Norfolk, the Norwich Medical Research University is part of a new £19m building managed by the University of East Anglia. The facility focuses on finding treatments for diseases affecting ageing populations. Adcock were appointed to manage, design and install two close control cold rooms that maintain a temperature of +4 +/- 0.5 degree differential and one close control heated cold room +37 +/- 0.5 degrees.

We employed a specialist contractor who interpreted requirements carefully. Each cold room has a bespoke control panel and includes energy-saving Searle EC evaporators.

Cold rooms are typically designed to operate at a 1-2 degree differential and in this case the cold rooms used thyristors to operate within a +/- 0.5 degree differential around the target set point. These are connected to Danfoss refrigeration condensing units and the lighting in all rooms are energy saving LED fixtures.

We pride ourselves on our service and are pleased to receive positive feedback from NHS clients:

"Adcock were selected for the design capabilities and professional approach. When it came to the installation of the constant temperature room, their installation engineers were able to work around a very the busy construction site by starting early and working late. We have selected Adcock for two other projects in the Cambridge area based on their delivery at the Norwich Medical Research Building."

David Frisby, Operation Manger, Eyre Group, for Norwich Medical Research, University of East Anglia

"I must write to commend the Adcock engineers who worked in the Oncology department over the weekend. Their time keeping was spot on; we saw clean and precise working practices - all in all a very professional job. Too often these days I have to write complaining about contractors and their work. It makes a welcome change to write expressing thanks."

Graham Brown, The Clerk of Works, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital

"There are two main [Adcock] engineers that are very familiar with the site and for this installation they were able to identify the best system based the size of the entrance roof and site knowledge. The installation was seamless - they knew
all of the people involved, who to contact and where to isolate the power."

Mr Manoj Chohan Energy Manager, Southend Hospital A&E Department

As the NHS enters its 71st year, we look forward to many more years working in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, helping medical and research teams deliver excellence to ordinary people like us. The right (or wrong) temperature can sometimes mean the difference between life or death, and we are proud to provide the intelligence, diligence and engineering our health service relies upon.

To find out how Adcock can maintain optimum temperatures in your facility, please contact us.