The primary function of private hospitals is to provide healthcare services. However, they are effectively a business just like any other large enterprise. They are faced, like any other property owner, with the challenge of having to manage multiple facilities at their premises. By Mark Swemmer, Business Manager, Jasco Property Technology Management
One fact that is most frequently overlooked is effective management of the rooftop space of hospital and clinic buildings. Outsourced rooftop management can assist healthcare groups and facilities to simplify the management and associated challenges including health and safety requirements, space management, asset management and effective meter management of energy consumption of the equipment that resides on the roofs of these facilities.
The lack of rooftop management can even result in a loss of revenue.
These rooftops house a wide variety of telecommunications infrastructure in order to provide communication for hospital patients, staff, IT equipment, visitors as well as surrounding areas. Without an asset register, it is almost impossible to track the abundance of equipment from a variety of tenants.
Without control, equipment can be installed on the rooftop without the knowledge of the healthcare facility. This leads to the challenge of general access to this equipment as management are not aware of what equipment resides on the rooftop but more importantly, who is allowed access to this equipment. Without rooftop management, lease management is difficult since a lack of this information hinders the ability to review leases when they expire and pricing cannot be maintained in line with current market values.
Rooftops tend to become labyrinths of masts, antennas, satellite dishes, security cameras, transceivers and more. This haphazard and unmanaged approach may be in breach of health and safety regulations and more often than not, facilities managers are unaware of this fact. Exposed cabling and points of connection that are not properly enclosed may be a fire hazard and ignorance does not remove the liability to the property owner, should something go wrong. An outsourced rooftop management service can assist to identify these areas of risk and provide recommendations to resolve.
Most building’s rooftop space is limited, therefore it is imperative that this area is effectively managed, as there is an overall increase in demand for wireless technologies to be deployed. If this is achieved, space for water tanks, solar panels and generators can be taken into consideration.
There are many benefits to effective rooftop management, however, this is often overlooked as it requires specialist skills and knowledge of telecommunications infrastructure and equipment. This is not the core business of either hospitals or the majority of facilities managers. Without this expertise to understand exactly what infrastructure is installed and for what purpose, it becomes almost impossible to adequately manage the rooftops real estate.
Outsourcing this service to an expert service provider can help healthcare facilities and private hospital groups to address this challenge head on. A comprehensive service, including a full audit, professional advice and active management of rooftop equipment. Provides a complete managed solution and service through a single point of contact.
A complete managed rooftop service can assist private healthcare groups to leverage professional management and the standardisation of rooftop installations across their entire property portfolio.
