Background
NHSScotland Assure was launched as part of National Services Scotland (NSS), 1st June 2021. It underpins a transformation in the approach to promoting excellence, reducing risks in the healthcare-built environment and ensuring healthcare facilities are safe, fit for purpose, cost effective and capable of delivering sustainable services over the long term.
In this context, risks refer to those commonly associated with service systems, that is, the provision of water and drainage, air ventilation, electricity, fire prevention and medical gases, with infection prevention and control as a consideration for each to support better outcomes for the population. This is achieved through the provision of expertise and evidence-based advice and guidance that contributes to reducing risk, delivering a sustainable healthcare service, and improving the healthcare experience for Scotland.
Guidance aims to provide advice on how to mitigate risks problems or difficulties and, to enable successful outcomes in the context of the NHS and the planning, design, construction and maintenance of its healthcare environment.
What are the objectives of NHSScotland Assure?
The NHSScotland Assure Research, Development and Innovation service is a service whose remit is to achieve a coordinated research portfolio, supporting the development of evidence-based guidance and research, to deliver safe healthcare environments that are free from avoidable risk. Further to the above, the service will seek to ensure that the most up to date and robust research is translated into practice as new and emerging evidence become available.
NHSScotland Assure seeks to implement processes and procedures to achieve the following;
- increased evidence base in built environment research by stimulating excellent applied and translational research.
- establish critical mass and promote knowledge sharing between investigators by creating a focused internationally competitive multidisciplinary, multi-organisational group, supporting state-of-the-art research excellence.
- increased training, provide support for additional research posts at all levels, promote research career development and extend expertise in research design and methodology.
- promoting and support of research leadership and mentoring.
The service will commission, tender and disseminate research worldwide. This will not only support NHSScotland Health Boards to increase their knowledge to manage built environment risks but will also ensure Scotland is recognised internationally as an expert in the field.
The Fund
In April 2022 a research fund was launched, managed by Edinburgh Napier University of behalf of NHSScotland Assure. Applications were invited to meet the objectives of NHSScotland Assure according to a defined scope. The scope covered eight key themes:
- Water systems, including drainage (design, installation, commissioning and maintenance (DICM))
- Ventilation systems (DICM)
- Pathogens, the microbiome, AMR, transmission risks and burden of disease in the hospital environment
- Hospital design, including size and single room provision
- Lessons learned from COVID-19
- Human factors/Ergonomics and Infection Prevention and Control
- Climate change requirements and the unintended consequences on built environment risks.
- The role of safety and harms in relation to medical gases, electrical systems and fire safety.
Seven funding rounds were held supported by a number of online events. Following a rigorous process several applications were successful and grants were awarded.