FEATURE ARTICLES

This year’s coronavirus outbreak has seen many organisations in the healthcare sphere turn their hand to non- ‘run-of-the’ mill activity as part of the wider UK effort to tackle the virus.

Many NHS Trusts have taken advantage of distributed energy technologies to reduce energy costs, improve sustainability, and improve resilience. Few, however, are making the most of newer opportunities to fully optimise their energy.

Stuart Skinner, senior Product manager at Rada, looks at what can be learnt from the initial response to COVID-19, and how those learnings can inform the role that infection control plays in the very fabric of our healthcare infrastructure.

Eugene Conroy CEng, FIHEEM, MIET, managing director of consulting engineers, Eta Projects, reports on the personal experiences of the professional team in the delivery of the NHS Nightingale Hospital London.

The creation of a decontamination ‘supercentre’ for the Royal Free which is enabling it to decontaminate and sterilise more efficiently under one roof, and also to take on work from other Trusts, required an ‘extremely complex’ plant installation.

As efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine continue, keyc onsiderations emerge with regards to the vaccine cold chain throughout mass distribution.

A look at the major upgrade of the HV and LV electrical infrastructure at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), which took over a year in planning, and a further 18 months’ work to complete.

Michael Brown, a Biomedical Services Technician based at Christchurch Public Hospital, , discusses his day-to-day job, and the important role such engineering personnel play in enabling clinicians to do ‘the real-life-saving work’.

Ann Vandycke, an architect and the head of the Technical Department at Belgian care organisation, Mintus, examines some of the latest innovations in building technologies.

Jonathan Baillie, recently spoke to David Hartley, managing director at MTX Contracts, about how modern methods of construction have become increasingly popular for a variety of healthcare buildings in recent years.

Access to a safe water supply is critical in healthcare environments, and complying with the Department of Health and Social Care’s Technical Memorandum, HTM 04-01, is crucial for estates and facilities managers, suppliers, and NHS management teams.

Dr Tim Sandle, discusses why the most up-to-date standards, known as European Norms (EN), should always be considered when selecting cleaning and disinfection products for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

David Cross, head of the Technical Training Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, and Paul Casson, Technical field manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, look at some of the pest control challenges facing healthcare estates teams, and how to meet them.

Antibacterial hoses incorporating a silver-based bacteriostatic additive were shown to significantly outperform additive free control hoses in reducing mean aerobic bacterial counts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa after 8-12 weeks.

Last summer The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, became the world’s first healthcare organisation to declare a Climate Emergency.

As the coronavirus spreads, so our understanding grows that those providing health services must be protected from contracting the virus at their places of work – a pharmacy being no exception.

A simple guide to help choose the best communication devices for clinicians.

A look at how the physical healthcare environment can continue to provide a safe, fit-for-purpose setting for high quality care as services start to be recommissioned, and planned care recommences, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

‘The most pertinent and repeated’ question the company has received in recent days is ‘How should we manage clinical waste in relation to COVID-19 crisis?’ Here he explains how such waste can be safely and responsively disposed of.

Discussion on a recent research initiative at the hospital – on the most effective ways to remove protein residue from surgical instruments – acknowledged as a considerable challenge using current, established methods.