If there is a positive finding on legionella sampling is it a requirement to close the building whilst the cleaning and resampling takes place, over a period of 2 weeks? Or is it down to risk assessment and identifying whether this would be required to maintain safety for staff? I have had a good look around but have not found anything definitive so I am inclined to the latter but would appreciate any advice from others who are more experienced in legionella issues. with thanks Andy

Last summer we got a count of 112,000 at an outlet in one of our Hospices. We didn't shut down, though we considered it. What we did is, we closed down the boilers, fortunately it was summer and we didn't need the heating. We hired in temporary water heaters, which look like yellow wheelie bins and once running operate without needing to be filled (cold water is piped in). We temporarily stopped admissions until it became clear that we had the risk under control, but we determined that it would be more dangerous to move the people already in the Hospice than to leave them where they were. At the same time of course we set in train the works needed to solve the problem permanently, in our case that took three weeks CQC and HSE were happy with our temporary arrangements So I would say that it's about whether you can control the risk. A bottling plant, for example, might need to close as it's hard to see how an alternative source of sufficient water could be provided, but in most cases I would think alternative water supply arrangements can be made, even in high-risk healthcare premises, John