Barry Community Hospital

Barry Community Hospital and MIW

With a history dating back to 1895, Barry Hospital in the Vale of Glamorgan is very much at the heart of the local community. It serves a population of more than 51,000. As part of a Trust-wide sustainability project the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CVUHB), which manages the site, made the decision to invest in new public drinking water facilities. The twin goals of the project were to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic drinks bottles used on site, and provide bacteria-free, safe and convenient hydration for hospital visitors.

The Project Management Team contacted MIW Water Cooler Experts to complete the venture.

The Brief

The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board came to MIW looking for advice and guidance, but with a very specific criteria that needed to be met.

• The MIW team would be required to provide advice on all areas of the project, including specifying, logistics and aftersales support.
• Any equipment provided would need to deliver both optimum quality and value for money. It must be easy to use, low maintenance, capable of serving high volumes of users, durable and wheelchair accessible, in line with the UK Disabilities Act and the Equality Act (2010).
• It was also imperative that the equipment be fully compliant with all relevant health and safety regulations, with an emphasis on hygiene.
• Once suitable equipment had been identified, MIW would be responsible for sourcing, customising and installing the water dispenser to a timetable agreed with both the site and the CVUHB.
• Post-installation, the MIW team would be responsible for the ongoing servicing and maintenance of the equipment.

The Process

As this was a single-unit project, the focus for MIW lay in finding the right equipment for the job.

With hygiene being an absolute priority for Barry Community Hospital, MIW recommended the Eco-Dispenser Max UV Superchill for the site.

As well as answering all of CVUHB’s other prerequisites, the unit comes complete with inbuilt UV sterilisation. Capable of destroying 99.99% of all bacteria and viruses in the water, UV is one of the most advanced filtration methods available. It cleans without tainting the water, which can help encourage greater use. The unit also has a simple, wipe-clean finish for easy sanitisation, while the hands-free operation dramatically reduces the chances of the bottle filler coming into contact with any contaminates. Being WRAS approved, this bottle filler fully complies with all UK health and safety guidelines, ensuring that there are no hidden health hazards within the unit’s makeup.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approved, the Eco-Dispenser is easily wheelchair accessible in line with the Disability Act and the Equality Act (2010). While its modular design makes it easier – and more cost-effective – to maintain and repair.

Because the equipment would be required to fit into an area with limited space, MIW needed to provide as much information as possible to CVUHB’s Technical Support Team prior to the commencement of work.  MIW dealt with this through the provision BIM (Building Information Modelling) files, technical and specification details, allowing for comprehensive planning throughout the project.

The Completed Project

Barry Community Hospital’s refill point was installed by MIW Water Cooler Experts in June 2020, according the schedule agreed with the site and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The unit was customised prior to installation and has been found to meet all of the needs stipulated by the client. Hospital visitors can find the bottle filler inside the main entrance.

MIW will continue to service and maintain the bottle filler and provide any additional aftersales support to Barry Community Hospital as required.