RECENT NEWS

The NHS will not be able to deliver faster and more productive patient care unless capital budgets are nearly doubled to at least £14.1 billion, says a new analysis published in an NHS Confederation report, 'Investing to save. The capital requirement for a more sustainable NHS in England'.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has marked the 30th anniversary of its founding with the release of new research, ’30 years back, 3 trends for the future’, which says three ‘megatrends’ will affect workplaces ‘for years to come’.

Six new ‘virtual clinic pods’ have opened at the London’s Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead – providing a bespoke private space for around 600 remote consultations per week.

Patients in and around Kendal in Cumbria are to benefit from a new £13.7 million Surgical Hub currently under construction on Level 3 at Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, due for completion in July 2024.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and global healthcare company, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, have entered ‘a new strategic collaboration to drive forward health innovation plans in West Yorkshire’.

The Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) says the recent launch of its new ‘knowledge hub’ website – www.pfkg.org – coincides with the release and publication of the first four ‘knowledge shares’.

The Devon Partnership NHS Trust says it is cutting its energy consumption and carbon footprint via the upgrading the heating and cooling system at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish following the installation there of Mitsubishi Electric e-Series heat pump units.

Turner & Townsend been appointed to lead a significant expansion and upgrade facilities at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Chelsea estate on London’s Fulham Road.

Leeds-headquartered medical technology specialist, Brandon Medical, and Device Technologies, an Australian supplier and integrator of medical devices and technologies, have announced a ‘strategic partnership’ which Brandon says marks ‘a significant step towards revolutionising patient care environments and empowering healthcare professionals in the Asia Pacific region’.

Traka’s ‘intelligent’ key management system has been installed by Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which cares for over half a million patients annually, from across Kingston, Richmond, Elmbridge (Surrey), Merton, Wandsworth, and Sutton.

A multi-million design and build contract has been awarded to Integrated Health Projects (IHP) – the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine – to deliver a new multi-storey car park as part of the wider Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment in North East London.

A display of 1,000 red poppies and a life-size wooden horse were recently installed at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for the Birmingham Trust’s Remembrance Week activities.

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has produced new guidance to address the technical challenges faced by engineers designing building services risers.

Technology company, ENTRNCE, describes its new ‘Carbon Matcher’ as ‘a unique data platform’ that calculates the half-hourly carbon footprint of onsite combined heat and power (CHP) versus conventional methods of heat and grid electricity.

The Imaging Department at Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, north Yorkshire, has undergone a £3 m ‘revamp’ as part of a national programme to provide clinical diagnostic services closer to patients’ homes.

Willmott Dixon is rolling out a new harness-based technology on its construction projects that it says will provide an even safer working environment for everyone using a boom-type mobile elevating work platform (MEWP).

Clean air technology specialist, Howorth Air Technology, has expanded its operations to accommodate a growing team, creating a dedicated ‘hub’ for its design engineers at its pharmaceuticals industry facility at Raven Locks in Little Hulton, Salford.

Rachel Davidson has been appointed to the new position of director of Specialist Knowledge at the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

A collaborative innovation project involving the University of Nottingham, which aims to create a portable facility that can convert waste into chemicals to be used to build medical devices, has been awarded €1.5 million as part of an international competition.

The Government will meet its target to open 160 community diagnostic centres a year early, Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, has announced, explaining that all 160 will be open by next March, 12 months ahead of the original March 2025 target.