Summary
HCA Healthcare UK (HCA) needed a trusted third party approved sprinkler inspector to support clients across multiple sites. The organisation understood that they had little information or expertise on or in sprinkler maintenance regimes, and needed expert guidance.
HCA had already worked with our knowledgeable and helpful experts in our fire risk assessment team. Following our recommendation, HCA enlisted the support of our technical experts to conduct required, independent third party sprinkler inspections of its clients’ sprinkler systems.
Challenges
Prior to partnering with the FPA, HCA had limited expert knowledge of what sprinkler maintenance it could manage in house. There are multiple service routines, checks and tests required by the LPC Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations 2015, all of which must be adhered to. This meant that recording the right information was equally challenging. It also had insufficient service reports, which made it difficult to identify what checks had or had not been completed. HCA needed expert and trusted support.
It was important to HCA that it was able to support its clients with the most trustworthy and knowledgeable suppliers for the job. As it provides services to high risk and vulnerable people, ensuring all maintenance was completed to the appropriate standards was of paramount importance.
How our service helped
The FPA was able to support HCA by working with it to conduct the inspections at a time that worked for HCA and its clients. Right from the start, it was easy to get going.
We explained the process and worked with HCA to prioritise the sites requiring inspection. The process was smooth, and there were limited interruptions to day to day activities.
Although HCA worked with different FPA technical experts to the fire risk assessments, it found them to be just as helpful, explaining key processes and offering follow up guidance following the report.
These reports were delivered shortly after the inspection, so HCA was not left waiting for the next steps. We provided detailed reports that could be understood in layman’s terms, and actionable recommendations that took HCA’s clients’ unique business requirements into consideration.
Results and future plans
As a result of the inspections, HCA now has a much clearer understanding of the required service and maintenance regimes for its clients’ sprinkler systems. It is planning to upgrade systems to ensure they meet regulations - not only that, but HCA also has an action plan mapped out for the next few months, which it can now budget for more effectively.
Find out more about our sprinkler inspection services.