EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues Nursing Issues Suction regulators

As previously posted speak to Doug McIvor at MHRA, he is the specialist for suction regulators. He should be able to give you the evidence to produce to your nursing colleagues that what they want to do is not safe. If he can't help then he will be able to point you in the right direction.

Just to let you know, I spoke to Doug McIvor and Ian Fraiser at NHS estates. Basically everything is best practice, not regulation or legislation as far as they know.

Dear Ron.

Try checking the terms of contract for the firm doing the pipeline maintenance.
Its sometimes the case that if you don't have statutory health protection for patients, you may be able to invoke statutory health protection for the service engineer or nurse and acheive the same result.
The service contract may well stipulate that such direct suctioning contitutes misuse of the piped gas system or that it constitutes an unacceptable infection risk to the contractors staff.

Marc.

Dear Marc
Thanks for the new slant. Ill try them.

Ron,
remove the devices you consider unsafe and speak to the Clinical risk manager to explain why.
The clinical risk manager is then informed and should carry out a risk assessment which will back up your actions.

Ron,
I think John is 100 % right on this, any risk manager worth there salt will jump on this issue straight away, youll also find they dont mind stopping anyone no matter what they call themselves "consultant brain surgeon" etc dead in their tracks. Very powerful people and usually very pro ebme.

oops

Ron, why not also consider including your "infection control team" into the equation. As has been suggested previously, a disaster just waiting to happen I must agree with John and Karl though, Louis would also impose his professional non-banterous self on to the situation and confiscate the blighter.
Regards

Louis III

Thanks for all the posts. The definitive guide can be found on the British Standards:-
BS EN ISO 10079-3:2000 Part 3 Suction Equipment.
Thank to Micheal from Therapy Equipment Ltd for that.

Ron

Could you please post a wee synopsis of BS EN ISO 10079-3:2000 Part 3 Suction Equipment for our edification.

Bill