Responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
Supporting the safe and timely opening of the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital.
16 September 2020
The challenge
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presented a significant challenge across the whole country, but not least, to the NHS and other vital public services. Part of that challenge was the requirement to rapidly deploy a temporary emergency critical care hospital to help deal with the potential rise in admissions.
It was agreed that the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital would be located at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow. The hospital, once opened, would allow for an additional 300 beds with the capacity to increase to 1,000 if required.
Business Stream were approached by Tom Pye, Energy Manager at Health Facilities Scotland, to develop and implement an emergency water plan. Although the SEC is an established operational site, the demand for water usage in a clinical setting is significantly more challenging and support was required to ensure the right measures were in place to maintain continuity of supply in an emergency.
“Business Stream’s input in helping secure a robust Water Emergency Plan at the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital in such short notice was invaluable. The team, led by David Campbell, acted effectively as the linchpin between all the major stakeholders, including NHS National Services Scotland, the appointed facilities management provider – FES, and the wholesaler - Scottish Water. Since the plan was established the team have worked tirelessly with FES on what to do in the event of an emergency as well as providing additional assistance on water conservation.”
The solution
Under normal circumstances, it can take weeks to deliver an emergency plan of this scale. However, recognising the urgency of this project, the Business Stream team worked round the clock to ensure the plan was in place in just six days.
Business Stream led a collaborative approach with key stakeholders, including FES, Scottish Water, NHS National Services Scotland and the SEC to quickly establish and secure approval for a temporary emergency plan for immediate implementation.
The plan set out a robust strategy for identifying and resolving tankered water delivery issues. It also covered how Business Stream would work within the Scottish Water Bylaws team to help FES design and commission tanker filling infrastructure to ensure continuity of supply in an emergency.
Business Stream’s Emergency and Contingency Manager, David Campbell, led the project with site visits to establish the layout, structure, metering, storage, and flow requirements. Regular visits during the implementation period and constant dialogue led to the creation of a bespoke emergency water plan. This included water conservation measures specific to the site and the needs of the NHS.
The team also accelerated the installation time for automated meter readers (AMRs), which are used to monitor water supply to the site and mitigate any issues before they arise. AMRs allow FES to analyse and proactively manage water usage effectively and maintain a system that’s compliant with NHS’ technical health and safety standards. The delivery and installation of AMRs was achieved within five days.
“We felt privileged to play our part in ensuring the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital could open safely and on schedule. By putting in place a robust emergency water plan and continuing to support FES we have been able to provide reassurance that should an issue arise then the right measures are in place to protect the water supply – which would be critical for the hospital”.
The future of the hospital
Due to the measures taken to suppress the virus, there's been no need to use the hospital to treat COVID-19 patients to date. The hospital is however still fully operational and currently helping NHS Scotland deliver healthcare services delayed by the pandemic, in addition to providing training, teaching and examinations in a physically distanced setting.
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