Traditional LST radiators and covers require removal for thorough cleaning, and ususally require a 2 man deep cleaning team.
The Association of Health Care Professionals (AHCP) recommends the following cleaning schedule:
| High Risk areas (High Dependency Wards and operating theatres) | Daily |
| Medium Risk Areas (Wards and treatment areas) | Daily |
| Low risk areas (Corridors and offices) | Weekly |
To perform a perfunctory clean on the LST radiators and covers takes at least ½ hour per radiator (and then it is not possible to clean inside the fins).
The average hospital has 800 radiators. That equates to 400 man hours per day
In a typical 800 radiator hospital, the savings on cleaning are up to £1.5 million pounds a year.
The improvement in health and safety is considerable as the incidence of impact injuries and trips and falls is eliminated. Other associated injuries to staff include RSI and lifting injuries.
The running costs of the heating system are reduced by about 20% - a further saving of around £100,000 a year per hospital.
ThermaSkirt is simply mopped free of infection by regular cleaning staff with existing cleaning materials
(Source: House of Commons Public Accounts Committee – Reducing Healthcare Associated Infection in Hospitals in England – November 2009)
1 in 8 patients will acquire an HAI whilst in hospital and spend nearly 2½ times longer in hospital costing the NHS an average of £9,000 per patient.
There are over 300,000 incidents of HAIs every year, and over 9,000 deaths.
Cleaning Wards in the NHS cost over £½billion in 2004.
Assuming 800 radiators per Hospital, and average of 2 radiators per room/zone (400 rooms/zones)
| Traditional LST Rads & Covers Fixed Covers |
New Style Demountable LST Rads & Covers (Manufacturers Claim) |
ThermaSkirt Assumes 400 rooms/zones (source; Trafford General) |
| 2 Persons involving Estates (with tools and equipment) | 1 person task (with appropriate training and ability to lift >30Kg. with keys and/or release tools) | 1 person task (regular cleaning staff with mop & bucket) |
| 30 minutes to remove casing | 5 minutes to remove and replace cover | N/A |
| 10~15minutes to clean wall, cover (both sides) and radiator (outer panels only) | 10 minutes to clean wall, cover (both sides) and radiator (outer panels only) | 120 seconds (Assumes a perimeter of 20m (room area of 25m2) = 3m2 of ThermaSkirt (1.5m2 per minute of mopping) |
| 8 hour working day = 15 LST per day | 8 hour working day = 32 LST per day | 8 hour day = 3,200m2 of Thermaskirt = 1,060 systems per day |
| 53 days to clean every radiator | 25 days to clean every radiator | < 1 day to clean every system |
| Cleaning Team of 100 persons required (radiators only) | Cleaning Team of 32 persons required (radiators only) | 1 cleaning person required (ThermaSkirt Cleaning Only) |
| Annual budget of > £1.7m (Radiator Cleaning Only, every day) |
Annual budget of > £550,000 (Radiator Cleaning Only, every day) |
Annual budget of £16,000 (ThermaSkirt Cleaning Only, every day) |
Despite being an all-around heating radiant heating system that feels indistinguishable from UFH in operation, the EasyClean system is an “above ground” heating solution, that makes any repair or maintenance issues, (however unlikely) a simple and straight forward process. Many UFH systems have been damaged through the screed.
