Air Liquide in the United Kingdom Hospitals

Medical gases are medication, and are subject to the market authorization procedures issued by the healthcare authorities. They are also subject to specific pharmaceutical traceability and are delivered under specific transport conditions, by personnel trained in handling such products. Our commitment to compliance with the strictest safety and quality standards is reflected, in our products and services.

We hold nine product licenses and all our licensed products are manufactured in line with the British or European Pharmacopoeia specifications. Our supply of medical gases in cylinders is fully compliant with the relevant sections of HTM 02-01.

We supply all the principal medical gases used in hospitals. All these gases are classified as Medicinal Products (as described in the Medicines Act 1968) and are classed as drugs.

Air Liquide offer Assettrac, our cylinder tracking system, to enable our customers to track their medical gas cylinders and control their stock balances. Air Liquide’s Assettrac Cylinder Tracking System can track cylinders within a hospital environment externally or internally.

External tracking (simple tracking in and out) enables us to detect if a cylinder was collected from a different drop point than the one it was delivered to. With this information the cylinder stock can be reconciled ensuring that stock balances and invoices are correct.

The internal tracking function allows our customers to manage the circulation of cylinders within their premises using additional hardware and detailed training. With access to detailed web software, they can then see where specific cylinders are and effectively monitor and manage medical gas stock.

Every employer has a duty to effectively assess and minimise risk in the workplace and in order to help you, we offer risk assessments to identify potential hazards in the areas of your site that use and store medical gas cylinders.

A risk assessment of a gas storage areas will identify potential hazards, encourage a safer working environment and give guidelines for best practice when using medical gas cylinders. With a nominated member of staff, we assess gas storage areas and identify potential hazards. Notes and photographic evidence are taken during the assessment for reference. After this phase, we rate the severity and likelihood of the hazards individually by using a matrix system. We then discuss current control measures and help our customers to formulate an action plan to eliminate these hazards.

To help ensure that our customers' staff receives the relevant training and that their competencies are maintained at a high level, Air Liquide Healthcare has created specialist training programmes. Medical Gases are medicines which should be prescribed and administered by trained and competent individuals. Hazards can arise from incorrect handling and storage of Medical Gases, thus, training of staff involved in cylinder management is essential.

The courses are modular to allow flexibility, with learning tailored to the needs of the audience and includes presentations, team-based workshops and knowledge reviews to test competency.

The courses we offer are:

We offer a comprehensive range of safe, efficient and cost effective cylinder trolleys, racks and accessories to safely transport and store cylinders. Our cylinder trolleys, racking systems and accessories range ensures our customers are compliant with Manual Handling Operations Regulation 1992, (amended 2002) which maintains the safety of employees by reducing manual handling injuries as well as increasing operator time efficiency by reducing manual handling and handling distances.

We offer robust and range of durable single or double cylinder trolleys, ensuring a long term investment, to fit all cylinder sizes, as well as bespoke racking systems, cylinder wall brackets/holders and trolley chains.

Air Liquide offer a comprehensive bespoke design, supply and installation service for your medical gas storage areas, to help manage and secure cylinders safely.

Air Liquide cylinder storage range provide the following benefits:

• Storage solutions are available for all cylinder sizes ensuring the gas store is organised, promoting safer cylinder handling
• Bespoke onsite design and advice service ensures proposals offer optimum layout, products and prices to suit individual requirements
• Robust and durable designs made of mild steel ensure a long term investment and expoxy powder coated paint increases durability

We offer a range of medical gas delivery and control equipment to suit all medical gas cylinders, including regulators, flowmeters and manifold systems. Same goes for devices and services.

We offer a range of Medical Gas Devices and Accessories to suit all  Medical Gas cylinders, including Regulators, Flowmeters and Piped Manifold systems.

Our specialty gases and equipment product offer spans a number of applications used in: Laboratories & Analysis, Universities, through to Research & Development. Air Liquide offers a wide range of products designed for analysis and an expertise to deliver on-demand mixtures.

A complete solution to meet Special gas needs:

• Special Medical Gases
• Analysis, Calibration and R&D Gases
• Total Gas Management service
• Medical Gas Delivery and Control Equipment
• Devices and Accessories
• Cylinder storage and handling solutions
• Training
• Tracking systems

When you buy medical gases from Air Liquide, you can also benefit from Air Liquide’s innovative Total Gas Management (TGM) service. We will supply a trained on-site medical gases technician dedicated to managing and optimising your hospital’s entire medical gas cylinder inventory.

TGM Service includes:

• Order-taking from departments
• Invoice management to minimise paperwork
• Change-out of cylinders on manifolds
• Delivering of cylinders to the points of use
• Conducting physical inventories
• Ensuring continuity of supply
• Inventory optimisation
• Departmental billing

Benefits for our customers:

• Improved patient experience
• Major reduction in lost cylinders charges
• Reduced cylinder inventory – lower rental charges
• Improved service - the right cylinder where you need it
• Improved safety - no more empty or expired cylinders delivered to the patient
• Problems and emergency cylinder availability solved smoothly and immediately by your on-site Air Liquide technician
• Regulatory compliance for entire cylinder inventory