FEATURE ARTICLES

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can appear complex, with different approaches to choose from, and many considerations for design programmes.

At look at how a better understanding of cleaning and maintaining ductwork can improve the design of ventilation systems and reduce fire risk.

With the announcement that 40 new hospitals would be built across England by 2030, Christopher Shaw, asked – in IHEEM’s Digital Week 2020 – how the sector could ensure that good design quality was a key feature of more new hospitals in the future.

As part of the wider NHS drive towards ‘Net Zero Carbon’, NHS Trusts across England must now create, develop, monitor, and report to their Board at least annually, on progress with a Green Plan.

Chris Harvey, head of Marketing at Stelrad, looks at the advantages of installing low surface temperature (LST) radiators in healthcare settings, particularly in terms of enhanced safety for more vulnerable very young and elderly patients.

Three years ago, Bristan commissioned a whitepaper, ‘Your Views: Infection Control for Water Delivery’. Now, Chris Tranter, revisits the report’s key findings, and reflects on the fundamental, yet unresolved, issues it raises.

Andrew Steel FIHEEM, reportedly one of the UK’s longest established specialist air hygiene and water treatment solutions providers, looks at some of the proposed changes in the guidance on ventilation systems in a revised version of HTM 03-01.

Kalpesh Shah, head of Sales – ProcessWater, at VeoliaWater Technologies UK (VWT UK), looks at the guidance within the HTMs, and provides an overview of the crucial practical issues to consider when it comes to implementation on site.

Patrick Morrison, Pre-contract manager for healthcare at NG Bailey, explores why modern methods of construction are, as he puts it, ‘key to the future success of construction in healthcare’.

David Hartley, the managing director of MTX, highlights the importance of ensuring that modular buildings have fully compliant ventilation systems that do more than just meet minimum standards.

Last October, the NHS adopted a multi-year plan to become the world’s first carbon net zero national health system – in terms of both its direct and indirect emissions – by 2045.

Adam Garnys, and his colleague, Josiah Padget, CETEC, argue that ‘a growing wave of post-pandemic migration to regional Australia will burden remote hospitals, increasing stress on facilities, and intensifying risk'.

Mark Fasiolo, at Townsville University Hospital in Australia, describes the installation of a new MR-linac machine at the facility which, at the time, was the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and one of a few installed worldwide.

Paul Fenton MBE, CEng, FIHEEM, a highly experienced estates and facilities professional and Chartered Engineer who has worked across both the NHS and commercial sectors in a varied 40-year career, took over as IHEEM's new President in December.

As global healthcare systems recover and learn from the effects of COVID-19, the focus is increasingly on creating more resilient estates for the future.

Since the start of the pandemic, NHS Trusts have experienced significant concerns around oxygen system deficiencies, especially with the increased use of high flow oxygen devices such as ventilators, and the significant increase in ICU beds.

Heidi Barnard, Group head of Sustainability at The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group of hospitals and community services in Greater Manchester, describes the organisation’s journey towards Net Zero Carbon.

A look at a collaborative project to determine whether the hospital oxygen (O2) infrastructure in the UK had sufficient capacity to supply the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 patients.

Eric Thomas, a former head of Environmental Management and Engineering, and Guto Owen, discuss the potential for wider adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a source of power in NHS buildings, and in associated transport applications.

There are many factors to consider when dealing with sound and vibration in and around hospital sites.