FEATURE ARTICLES

A software system that automatically emails hundreds of clinical and non-clinical staff across the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust’s three hospitals requesting confirmation that low-use toilets, showers, and taps have been regularly flushed in line with HTM 04-01 guidance, is reducing the risk of biofilm build-up, and thus of Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonisation, with, on average, a 95-97 per cent flushing compliance.

Brian Back, HND, BEng (Hons), CEng, FIET, founder of the Zero Pollution Network – a ‘network of solution providers that aim both to tackle aquatic pollution, climate change, and sustainability issues, and to improve Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainable Governance’, who is also CEO and CTO of radio telemetry specialist, Radio Data Networks, discusses the significant health risks to patients, staff, and visitors, from blocked sewers and drains in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. He highlights some of the key technologies for detecting such issues before they become a major problem.

According to Altro, ‘recent years have seen the arguments for and against the use of biocides intensify, with some pro-biocide organisations making bolder claims than ever before’. Here Lucy Bilotto, European Marketing manager at Altro, outlines the flooring and wall cladding manufacturer’s concerns that ‘in the absence of firm evidence to support these claims’, there are concerns that these additives may be having no positive impact on infection control.

Joris Post, director at Dutch-headquartered specialist in copper silver ionisation, ATECA, says he is passionate about the safety of water systems in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Daniel Pitcher, managing director at the Water Hygiene Centre, describes how the Wye Valley NHS Trust and its PFI partner, Sodexo, worked together to significantly improve the safe and efficient management of the water system at Hereford County Hospital, enhancing existing monitoring and review systems, and making key data available to those who require it – such as Water Safety Group members – in a more accessible format.

At a meeting last September at Chesham-based medical gas system specialist, SHJ, key personnel explained to HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, how the company is increasingly harnessing AI, IOT, and edge computing to enhance its systems to run and fault-find almost autonomously, feeding back fault data instantly should plant begin running sub-optimally, and taking remedial action to restore full performance, often without the need for human intervention.

With increasing pressures on healthcare services, it has become ‘routine’ that changes are made to bring about cost savings whilst still maintaining the quality of patient care.

The debate around healthcare funding is very topical, but how could hospital managers better spend their NHS estate money to benefit patients and staff? Andrea Harman, Concept developer for Healthcare at Ecophon, discusses the value – in terms of tangible patient benefits – of investing in acoustic ceiling solutions.

With hospital closures ‘happening up and down the country’, preventing once functioning healthcare buildings from falling into dilapidation is crucial, argues Rogier Donkersloot, managing director of international ‘property guardian’ organisation, DEX Property Management.

Craig Fleming, Sector leader for NHS & Government Services at Aggreko, discusses how temporary power solutions ‘can alleviate pressure on a beleaguered NHS estate while also helping it to meet longer-term sustainability targets’.

David Hindle, head of Door Closer Sales at Assa Abloy Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, discusses the main considerations for healthcare estates teams when specifying new door closers for a site, covering key issues such as certification, performance, and flexibility.

As refurbishments occupy a bigger proportion of the healthcare construction landscape, sensitive handling of works is more important than ever, and supplier relationships built on trust are essential, argues Chris Murphy, head of Operations at property maintenance and development specialist, Novus.

Richard Gibson, Technical director at Pinpoint, takes a look at some of the broad range of personal staff attack alarm systems now on the market, and considers the ‘pros and cons’ of some of the main technologies.

David Livingstone, a Chartered Engineer, and the managing director of DRLC, Consulting Engineers, discusses some of the key considerations for healthcare engineers to ensure that the performance of air-handling units in hospitals located in coastal areas is not compromised by corrosion created by the increased concentration of salt in the local atmosphere.

Speaking at a climate change-themed IHEEM Regional Conference in Cardiff, Oswyn Parry, a training consultant at Airewater Associates, and a former Yorkshire Water microbiologist, gave an interesting address on ‘The effect of drought and flooding on drinking water quality’.

Two separate construction schemes within the Lincoln Wing at Leeds’s St James’s University Hospital – one involving refurbishing and updating two ageing ground floor wards to enable them to meet current clinical practice standards, improve the patient environment, and deliver lean methodology in support services, and the second to create two new decant theatres on the floor above to accommodate surgery while existing theatres are upgraded, have been successfully completed.

MTX will shortly complete a new 1,500 m2 Interventional Radiology Unit at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Mounted on the roof of the existing Outpatients’ East building, close to the Emergency Department, the new ‘IRU’ will significantly increase the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH)’s capacity to diagnose and treat vascular and other conditions using interventional radiology.

David Broderick, Operations director for ISG’s Engineering Services business, discusses why he believes construction technology ‘holds the key to decentralised healthcare provision’.

Chris McElroy, Specification and Design consultant at Altro, discusses some of the fundamentals for achieving good acoustics in healthcare settings, to the benefit of all users, with a particular focus on the role that well-designed floorcoverings can play.

Daniel Pitcher, managing director and Authorising Engineer (Water) at the Water Hygiene Centre, a ‘centre of excellence’ dedicated to independent water safety consultancy, considers future developments and changes for water safety, and focuses on some of the rapid detection and analysis technologies for detecting potentially harmful waterborne bacteria.