CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskHSE Approved Code of Practice L8 requires that care homes implement a written Legionella control scheme including regular water temperature checks. Here is what must be recorded and how often.
HSE ACOP L8 requires every care home with a water system presenting a Legionella risk to operate a written control scheme, describing the system, the measures in place to control risk, and the routine monitoring -- principally temperature checks -- carried out to verify those measures are working. The control scheme should be specific to the site's actual system rather than a generic template, referencing the calorifiers, sentinel outlets, tanks and any other relevant components by location.
The core temperature record set covers weekly sentinel outlet checks confirming cold water reaches below 20C and hot water reaches at least 50C to 55C within the specified time at the tap, and monthly calorifier flow and return temperature checks confirming stored water is at or above 60C. Every entry needs a date, the specific outlet or component checked, the reading taken, and the name of the person who carried it out -- a log that only records pass or fail without the actual temperature does not meet the expected standard.
A practical monitoring log lists every sentinel outlet and calorifier on the site, assigns responsibility for each check to a named role or individual, and specifies the exact frequency required for that item based on the water risk assessment. Digital logging systems that prompt for overdue checks and flag out-of-range readings automatically reduce the risk of gaps compared with paper logs that rely entirely on staff remembering the schedule unprompted.
Gaps in Legionella temperature monitoring records are consistently among the most common findings in care home health and safety enforcement actions, because they are simple for an inspector to identify and difficult for the operator to explain away after the fact. Both CQC and HSE treat monitoring gaps seriously, since consistent, complete records are the primary evidence that a control scheme exists in practice and not just on paper.
In the event of a Legionella outbreak linked to a care home, the temperature monitoring log becomes central evidence in any subsequent investigation, used to establish whether the control scheme was being followed in the period leading up to the incident. Missing or incomplete records at that stage will feature prominently in the findings, regardless of what the underlying water conditions may actually have been, which is why maintaining a complete and contemporaneous log is one of the single most important compliance activities a care home can undertake.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.