FEATURE ARTICLES
Agile care in a time of lockdown
A look at the work that went into the development of a ‘new generation’ drive through clinic, piloted in Birmingham during the pandemic, which allowed patients to simply drive in to see a doctor when conventional appointments were hard to get.
‘Going back to the basics’ to secure savings for the NHS
Mark Smith, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at NHS Property Services, explains how the company has been able to make valuable savings that are reinvested into the NHS.
The focus on ‘wellness’ for both staff and patients
Alex Solk, Partner and Healthcare lead at Sheppard Robson, argues that the next generation of hospital design should ‘learn from the office’s drive for wellness’. He believes that ‘wellness in the workplace is as vital to hospital design as it is to re-thinking our offices’.
Low-contact door solutions for a healthier environment
Infection control is critical in healthcare environments to protect patients, visitors, and staff. Here Tim Checketts, head of Specification at dormakaba, discusses how the right door and access control solutions can help minimise the spread of germs, while still achieving the required accessibility, security, and safety.
Sizeable EBME package for £25 m Swansea hospital
Avensys has demonstrated its broad-ranging capabilities and expertise in the procurement, purchase, storage, supply, and installation of new medical devices, and the sale of surplus-to-requirements EBME equipment, in a £1 m contract recently successfully completed for not-for-profit healthcare provider, Healthcare Management Trust (HMT), at its new £25 m Sancta Maria Hospital in Swansea’s SA1 waterfront district.
Disposable curtains offer ‘a more sustainable option’
HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, talks to Steve Parker, Operations manager at Marlux Medical, about the growth in demand for disposable privacy curtains during the pandemic, current best practice in curtain changing, and the latest technology developments that are helping to make disposable privacy curtains a more sustainable option for NHS Trusts.
Streamlining stock control in non-acute settings
James Minards, Country Sales manager for the UK and Ireland at healthcare business and data automation company, GHX, discusses the use of digital inventory management systems to improve stock control and the procurement of a variety of key items used by hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and the time, cost-saving, and efficiency benefits the technology can bring.
Priorities for effective groundworks addressed
Declan Armour, managing director of Shanco Contracts, explains the importance of effective groundworks for modular builds, and how to avoid unnecessary costs and delays.
The mobile units bringing cancer care to the patient
Tina Seymour, CEO at charity, Hope for Tomorrow, looks at how mobile cancer care units are supporting NHS Trusts, and ‘revolutionising how life-saving treatment is delivered to communities thanks to digital innovation’.
Innovation means plenty of choice for specifiers
Dave Palmer from temperature control specialist, ICS Cool Energy, on some of the key heating and cooling demands on healthcare facilities, and on how these can be met in a sustainable and efficient way.
Hospital estates strategy and the climate emergency
The UK construction sector is set to make Whole Life Carbon calculations integral to design decisions. Senior personnel from architectural practice, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, discuss the considerations faced by an NHS Trust.
The cost of not doing it right: a Legionella challenge
Nick Barsby from T-safe UK, and Chair of the Legionella Control Association, and, Claire Jackson, an Authorising Engineer (Water), discuss work to address protracted Legionella colonisation in the water at a hospital in south-east England.
AEs and APs – Jacks of all trades but masters of none?
Andrew Poplett IEng, MIHEEM, an Authorising Engineer (W&V), on ensuring, with growing staff and skills shortages, that Authorising Engineers and Authorised Persons don’t face an unreasonable workload and burden of responsibility
Innovative circuit breakers for Oxford’s largest hospital
Mike Porter, describes a project at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital to replace obsolete low voltage air circuit breakers with retrofit variants, which will significantly extend the life of the existing switchboard
Increasing shift to MMC requires different mindset
Regina Kennedy, Healthcare Strategy and Planning director at ETL, argues that the presumption in government circles toward greater use of Modern Methods of Construction in healthcare projects calls for a different mindset and approach.
Ventilator alerts delivered through nurse call system
John Evans, Wandsworth Healthcare, explains how the company delivered a reliable alarm system for a surgical ward at Basildon University Hospital in Essex to instantly alert hospital staff to ventilator failure, removal, or misuse.
COVID-19 puts efficient and reliable running into focus
DRLC’s Project director, Dr Louise Webb, and MD David Livingstone, consider how to keep ventilation plant in healthcare facilities running reliably, and – with the drive towards Net Zero – efficiently and sustainably.
Ensuring effective fire safety strategies for healthcare
Fire safety has long been a high priority for healthcare estates teams, but has assumed ever greater prominence following 2017’s Grenfell Tower fire. Andrew Foolkes, Principal Fire engineer at Tenos, presented on ‘Fire Safety Management Competency’
Improving standards in Legionella risk assessments
IHEEM Registered AE (Water), Steve Mount, discusses, on behalf of the IHEEM Water Technical Platform, the current standard of Legionella risk assessments seen in the healthcare community.
AGM: President and CEO look back at eventful year
IHEEM’s 2021 AGM saw President, Paul Fenton, report on a difficult year, while CEO, Pete Sellars, looked to plans for 2022. The winner of the 2021 IHEEM Lifetime Achievement Award was announced.
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The architecture and planning of a hospital is of crucial long-term importance to functionality and successful patient care. It forms the basis for optimal hospital processes and, in turn, minimises the workload of hospital personnel. We have been supporting workplace design in the field of acute care for over 50 years. With our expertise in...