Water consumption and quality: Fresh water and wastewater management in hospital operations

The water used in healthcare facilities is subject to a large number of stringent legal requirements. At the same time, water management at our hospitals focuses on an uninterrupted supply of water of uniformly high quality. Furthermore, strenuous efforts are necessary to prevent microbial contamination. The Central Service Hospital Hygiene and the Infrastructure Business Unit, including the cleaning department, deal with all issues relating to water quality.

Due to the strict requirements for water quality in hospitals and healthcare facilities, water is not recycled at Helios, and gray water (treated water from showers or sinks) is not used at Helios. Water management at our hospitals is closely associated with hygiene management to ensure that patients, our employees, and other people are not put at risk at any time. Reliable compliance with Germany’s Ordinance on the Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption (TrinkwV) is a top priority at Helios so that water quality and hygiene are maintained.

We have developed our own action guidelines and specifications that expand on the statutory regulations. They define hospital-specific processes and other internal Helios requirements in relation to the quality of drinking water. This approach has enabled us to keep the number of water-based findings in our standard reviews at a low level. Precautions have been taken to ensure consistent supply if drinking water from the public supply system is contaminated. Alongside our own treatment systems, our facilities have additional water treatment modules that enable us to provide sterile drinking water. All our hospitals have emergency plans for tackling any supply shortages and safeguarding the provision of healthcare to our patients.

Our water consumption

In 2023, we consumed a total of approximately 2.455 million cubic meters (m³) of water (2022: 2.510 million m³). Measured by revenue, water consumption was approximately 337m³ (2022: 358 m³) per €1 million of revenue. Nearly 100% of the water consumed was provided by public utilities. This was due to the special hygiene guidelines and strict water quality specifications for healthcare facilities. We are also required to meet strict regional and local legal requirements for the discharge of wastewater. Our compliance with them is reviewed by the responsible wastewater disposal agencies.