Written question WQ84596
- Asked by
- Rhun ap IorwerthPlaid
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 10 days
Question
How is the Welsh Government evaluating actions taken by health boards to improve ventilation and CO2 monitoring within NHS estates across Wales, and will the Minister detail the findings of these evaluation?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
I can confirm action is being undertaken to improve ventilation and CO2 monitoring across the NHS estate. NHS Shared Services Partnership – Specialist Estate Services (NWSSP-SES) is supporting Welsh Government in providing engineering scrutiny in business case/design submissions from the Health Boards including ventilation systems. This ensures any actions comply with current guidance.
NWSSP-SES also provides support and guidance to Health Boards around ventilation related matters. This includes siting on the Ventilation Safety Groups (VSGs), appointing Authorised Persons (APs) to safely manage the ventilation systems and carrying out audits to confirm how well the ventilation systems are managed.
Ventilation Safety Groups have been advised to survey their existing ventilation systems, to determine their existing performance against current guidance, and identify any shortfalls. As a direct result of these surveys a variety of ventilation improvements have been completed.
NWSSP-SES also carry out full validations on critical ventilation systems when they are first installed. They also carry out critical ventilation plant verifications on an annual basis on request from the Health Boards. Health Boards also employ outside contractors to carry out this work.
NWSSP-SES have been involved in a UK wide NHS group looking at ventilation in healthcare settings. The use of CO2 monitoring in healthcare was specifically considered. Based on current available data the group are not recommending the blanket installation of CO2 monitoring in healthcare facilities at this time. The sub group recommended further research around positioning the type of monitor to use. CO2 monitoring may be more relevant to schools as they have relatively small rooms with large occupancy. In hospitals, most of our clinical settings have larger rooms with fewer occupants therefore, CO2 monitoring is much more difficult to quantify.
Individual Health Boards may wish to install them as an additional tool in managing SARS-CoV-2.