Your local hospital provides a vital role in the community. But such an important facility faces many challenges in its day-to-day operations. Keeping a hospital running smoothly, safely, and at its operational capabilities requires a tremendous amount of planning, preparation, and teamwork. Preventative hospital maintenance is a large piece of the puzzle.
Preventative maintenance serves a wide range of purposes, from keeping essential equipment running smoothly to keeping the hospital safe and comfortable to responding quickly to any emergencies that may arise. The goal is to prevent or minimise any downtime or malfunction so the hospital can carry out its very important work. This post offers insight and guidance that will help you create an effective preventative maintenance plan for hospital buildings and other medical facilities. You'll also learn how contracting with an external maintenance company can help.
Establishing a baseline for your hospital
It is important to establish a baseline for the hospital building's systems and equipment. This means stepping back to get a full view of the building's past, present, and future. A comprehensive review of the building maintenance history and current maintenance schedule, combined with a projection of future hospital maintenance needs, establishes a baseline.
A full inventory and assessment are also important. This roots out any problem areas, such as equipment that needs servicing or replacing, or any areas of the building that have been neglected or urgently need repairs. Once the building is at its baseline level, it is easier to establish maintenance routines and project future budgets.
Identifying critical systems and equipment
Hospitals depend on several critical systems to function properly and to save lives. Providing a comfortable and safe environment is crucial to the well-being of patients and employees. Hospitals are filled with necessary diagnostic and life-saving equipment that must work reliably for medical staff to perform their important work.
Identifying the most critical systems and equipment in the building is vital to establishing hospital maintenance priorities and scheduling. As an example, painting or replacing worn-looking flooring is something that needs to be addressed. But it isn't as important as repairs to vital medical equipment or maintaining the HVAC system. Other necessary functions maintenance teams must address include plumbing and electrical systems.
Prioritising maintenance for these systems takes multiple things into consideration, such as frequency of use, how critical its function is, and more.
Developing a maintenance schedule
A good hospital maintenance plan evolves and needs periodic evaluation to ensure its effectiveness. What "has always worked" may require reevaluation. Budget changes, personnel changes, new equipment, new regulations, and other factors like expansion warrant an assessment of current maintenance schedules, too.
A thorough inventory and inspection of the building, its systems, and its equipment is the first step. Organising pertinent information in a comprehensive database using a CMMS is ideal because it takes the guesswork out of things like making sure vehicles or equipment receive regular maintenance. It provides a record of repairs, replacements, and maintenance to avoid unnecessary repetition of maintenance tasks. It also ensures that tasks aren't overlooked.
Monitoring and evaluation of your maintenance schedule
Once you have established a working maintenance schedule, you will need to evaluate its performance regularly to ensure it is truly effective. The CMMS will assist in this, but it is no replacement for human observation and evaluation. Each facility is different, and many external factors determine the best way to schedule hospital maintenance based on:
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Traffic
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Use
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Age of systems
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Normal wear and tear
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The size and experience of your maintenance team
Contracting with an external maintenance company
A full-time dedicated maintenance team isn't always feasible, nor is it the best solution for your hospital or medical facility. Contracting with an external maintenance company gives you access to tailor-made maintenance packages that maximise your maintenance budget. It also provides dedicated, experienced contractors trained to handle the unique needs of a hospital building.
Contracted maintenance may replace an in-house maintenance team or supplement it. There is no one-size-fits-all program for hospital maintenance needs, which is why contracting with a maintenance company such as First Response Maintenance Solutions is ideal. You can contract for the maintenance work you need. Then you can adjust services according to your needs and increase or decrease services as needed.
Creating the maintenance schedule that works for your facility
Creating an effective maintenance schedule for your hospital building requires teamwork, communication, ongoing optimisation, and the right tools and resources. Contracting with an outside maintenance company allows you to fill in any gaps in personnel or outsource all your maintenance needs in a budget-friendly manner. For more information about First Response Maintenance Solutions and our services, contact us today.