We explore the pivotal role medical ups systems play in an increasingly digitalised National Health Service.
Clean and continuous power impacts on our NHS in so many ways.
Electricity powers critical care equipment like scanners and heart monitors. It keeps the IT and comms infrastructure needed to manage patient records, arrange appointments and carry out vital admin online.
Power also enables the processing of data from wearables and diagnostic devices used by thousands of patients to manage their conditions.
In the final edition of 2019, we speak to Health Business magazine about the importance of medical UPS systems.
Uninterruptible power supplies offer the ultimate insurance against damaging electrical outages or fluctuations in supply.
However, a hospital UPS is just as complex as the MRI scanner or sensitive scientific research lab equipment it’s meant to protect.
Components suffer from wear and tear. While no electrical device is immune from an unexpected fault. That’s why a robust UPS maintenance plan is worth its weight in gold.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Our article outlines the many benefits of an ongoing preventive maintenance regime, even for UPS systems covered by warranties.
Regular preventive maintenance visits (PMVs) are the most effective way of reducing the risk of downtime happening. Engineers will also update firmware and carry out diagnostic checks, making sure that medical UPS systems run at their most efficient.
The support of a UPS maintenance contract also offers peace of mind if the worst was to happen. It spells out in black and white the emergency response time the hospital or doctor’s surgery will get if their UPS goes offline.
As our piece explains, however, not all UPS maintenance agreements are created equally.
Healthcare facilities managers should seek clarity on several points, including what spare parts are covered and how quickly they can get them in an emergency.
Another key point is to establish how competent and qualified the service engineers working on any medical UPS are.
This is particularly important if an IT administrator opts for a third-party maintenance provider instead of the UPS manufacturer.
