FEATURE ARTICLES

With the increase in ‘social prescribing’ aimed at easing the burden on the NHS, there is renewed focus on the health benefits of gardens, and particularly on the physical act of gardening, among healthcare professionals and those within the care sector.

Jamie Marsh and Adam Hurst, both Partners at construction, property, and management consultancy, Rider Levett Bucknall, discuss some of the key steps for healthcare estates management teams to take to ensure that PPP estate assets are optimised and offer the maximum value.

In recent years, the healthcare sector has been undergoing a significant transformation, with a focus on improving the accessibility and efficiency of crucial diagnostic services. Here, Phil Pavey, MD at Algeco Offsite, looks at how – as he puts it – ‘the latest platform design solutions are helping to roll out the benefits of Community Diagnostic Centres faster than other construction techniques’.

Mike Horrocks, a Senior Project manager in the Major Capital Projects Team at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, discusses some of the ways that social value can be embedded effectively in healthcare estate management, with examples from work undertaken by the Trust.

Ulrik Vadstrup, Regional Europe Sales manager for HVACR at ABB Drive Products, argues the case for drive and motor (DM) packages, as opposed to electronically commutated (EC) fans, when specifying HVACR systems

Last October, Reinsberg Group, the medtech holding of Prague-based private equity firm, BHM Group, acquired a majority stake in Brandon Medical – as part of its strategy to build a strong group of independent European medical manufacturers. Simultaneously, Brandon unveiled ‘a bold rebrand’.

Dr Nick Hill FIHEEM, director of Water Quality London, considers some of the implications for healthcare engineering and healthcare estate management personnel of an increasingly digital world, and discusses the results of a survey of senior such personnel on the topic.

The assessment, appointment, and acceptance of the Authorised Person role can be seen as a ‘tick-box exercise’, with many APs finding the role considered an ‘added extra’ to existing duties and roles. An IHEEM-registered AE discusses the extent and nature of the role using ventilation as the primary exemplar of the duties involved.

A look at annual ventilation plant checks, comparing and contrasting how the roles of professional ventilation verifier and Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) are positioned to ensure that indoor air in healthcare premises is of the highest quality.

Dr. Iyad Al-Attar, a mechanical engineer and independent air filtration consultant, and a Visiting Academic Fellow at the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, explores the evolution of indoor air quality (IAQ) governance, tracing advancements in building technology – ‘from basic mechanical systems to sophisticated smart building technologies’. Highlighting ‘the historical neglect of IAQ as a public health concern’, he contrasts it with the increased focus spurred by recent pandemics, and explains how air quality governance ‘leads the way to the promise of better IAQ – from theory into practice’.

Hygenius says it has been ‘a trusted name’ in the healthcare sector for over 50 years, ‘renowned’ for its innovative and high-quality infection control healthcare furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E). In this ‘Q&A’ article, the company’s managing director, Richard Thomas, shares his thoughts on the importance of carbon performance transparency, and the steps the company is taking to reduce its carbon emissions.

Laura Carrara-Cagni and Edward Williams, the founding directors of architectural practice, Cagni Williams, discuss the thinking and architectural / design expertise that have combined to create what is said to be one of Europe’s most advanced hospitals, in Smethwick near Birmingham, explaining how the ‘vision’ for the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital was turned into reality.

NHS Trusts across the UK are focusing on their challenging programme of capital investment in new hospitals, modernising existing facilities, and driving down emissions, as part of the 2040 NHS Net Zero Carbon deadline. James Large, Senior Acoustics consultant at international mechanical and electrical (M&E) and sustainability consultancy, CPW, argues that against this backdrop, more focus should be placed on good acoustic design during estates upgrades.

‘Sustainability isn’t a destination – it’s a journey’, argues Steve Bishop, Business Development manager at Spirax Sarco. In this article he focuses on optimising the running and maintenance of the boiler house as part of that ongoing commitment, and the benefits this can bring. His message is that even small steps can bring considerable increases in plant efficiency, while reducing both costs and carbon emissions.

The potential issues with RAAC – a lightweight precast concrete frequently used in UK public sector buildings from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s, are well documented. The challenges of remediation in a live hospital, with a focus on Airedale General Hospital near Keighley, were discussed in a presentation at October’s Healthcare Estates conference

Two ‘state-of-the-art’ new hospital wards have opened at the Western Community Hospital in Southampton, providing specialist rehabilitation care to people living in and around the area. Their opening has seen patients and staff re-located to the new facilities from two ageing rehabilitation wards at the nearby Royal South Hants Hospital.

Jan Kroman, a Principal at Canada’s Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman Architects, based in Edmonton, Alberta, discusses a project to create a new Emergency Department at the city’s Misericordia Community Hospital.

Simon Witts, a director at VA Sciences – a scientific consultancy based in Vermont, Victoria, in Australia, which offers a fully developed suite of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) services, discusses the integration of heat pumps into existing hospital systems. He examines the challenges and necessary adaptations for replacing traditional gas-fired systems with heat pump technology during the electrification process.

Jeff Penner, a Senior Associate at Verne Reimer Architecture in Winnipeg, Canada, discusses the design of new long-term care facility in the Arctic in Canada’s largest, easternmost, and northernmost territory, built on the foundation of Inuit cultural awareness, dignity, and respect.

Simon Everett, a Senior lecturer in the Built Environment and Programme Leader at Wrexham University, and Dr Scott Brown, managing director and lead consultant for Health Tech Solutions, discuss the importance of healthcare estate management teams maintaining up-to-date and sufficiently comprehensive Operations Manuals for each key engineering and EFM discipline, and some of the main elements to include.