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28th January 2021
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TMVA success with latest Department of Health Guidance
The Thermostatic Mixing Valve Manufacturers' Association has successfully secured the inclusion of 'Severe Scalding of Patients' in the expanded list of 'Never Events' (increasing from 8 to 25) recently published by the Department of Health. The list is prefaced by: "The expanded never events list is, in the view of the Department of Health, a reasonable list of events that are unacceptable and eminently preventable in the National Health Service. It is the list that all organisations providing NHS care should work from."
Never event number 24, Severe Scalding of Patients, references the relevant guidance documents that should be followed to ensure such an event never happens, and these present Thermostatic Mixing Valves as the key temperature controlling device to be installed to meet the relevant safety requirements.
"This success has been achieved following proactive engagement with the Department of Health by the TMVA, and further endorses the Thermostatic Mixing Valve as a vital and reliable safety device for use in healthcare properties," says The Chair of the TMVA, Roy Minett.
"The TMVA and its members are continuing to work with the Department of Health to ensure that healthcare engineers and other staff are aware of - and implementing - the relevant guidance to ensure the highest level of safety in hot water systems is delivered to all patients and staff in the healthcare sector."
The TMVA addresses the issues concerned with thermostatic mixing and shower valves. Its aim is to concentrate attention on the safe provision of hot water at the point of use through:
- Raising awareness of the dangers of scalding
- Promoting awareness of TMV benefits in preventing potential scalding
- Creating a forum for leading manufacturers to engender continuous product/application development to improve safety.
TMVA provides technical/commercial guidance for building users, installers, specifiers and consumers. TMVA member companies offer a comprehensive range of thermostatic products approved under the BuildCert Scheme.
1st April 2011