BDR Group recently faced a challenging situation at Tonbridge Cottage Hospital. At the end of November, we received a call through our out-of-hours rota stating there was a loss of heating and hot water at the hospital. As a P1 priority, our Operations Manager, Matt Smith, who is Gas Safety-qualified, attended the site within two hours with a team of two qualified engineers.
The building, which is over 100 years old and had recently been added to the Trust’s portfolio, presented a complex set of issues. After investigations, it was determined that a 10-year old pump was the source of the failures. However, there were no replacement pumps available to purchase in the South East and they were on an 11-week backlog.
Thanks to our long-standing supplier relationships, Matt was able to source a pump in the North of England and have it delivered to the site within six hours. As a temporary measure, additional heaters were brought to the site, and the team worked through the night to replace the pump and services.
However, after checking the gas meter following installation, water was detected, which added another difficult problem into the equation. Matt resolved this by calling Southern Gas Network and gas was turned on at the hospital within six hours. Our team ensured services were restored in time for the kitchen to open at 06:15. To provide further assurance, the team stayed on site until midday on Saturday to ensure there were no faults anywhere on the system and all patients were comfortable. If heating had not been restored properly, a full evacuation of the hospital would have been necessary at a cost in the region of £300K to the Trust.
Our actions and flexibility ensured minimum system downtime and the safety of all patients at the facility. The new Chief Executive of the Trust personally thanked the team and incorporated the challenge into an article in the Trust’s news bulletin. BDR Group is proud to have been able to provide a quick and efficient solution to this emergency situation and ensure the safety and comfort of all patients at Tonbridge Cottage Hospital.
