FEATURE ARTICLES

Mark Gibson, Managing director – Healthcare, at Sir Robert McAlpine, looks at some of the considerable benefits that a growing arsenal of digital construction tools can bring – both to designers and builders of healthcare facilities and the end-client – be it an NHS Trust or private healthcare provider. He stresses that the data collected during project delivery can also be highly valuable to the end-user once the building has been completed.

Charlie Hinchey, Intelligent Buildings Solution consultant for healthcare at Trend Control Systems, explains how Milton Keynes University Hospital is working with Trend Controls, AES, and Haltian, to understand the benefits of deploying one of the first digital twin systems in an NHS healthcare setting.

Richard Mazuch, an architect, the director of Design, Research and Innovation for Arcadis, and the founder of TH!NK – the research and development arm of IBI (with whom Arcadis merged in late 2022), discusses some of the key learnings from paediatric healthcare design – in both physical and mental healtcare settings – for areas such as teaching, and vice-versa.

George Pritchard, Technical director at Scenariio, a Derby-based smart buildings and IT specialist, discusses the company’s work to install LED lights, environmental sensors, and an emergency lighting system, at The Saplings, a new children’s bereavement counselling centre at Treetops Hospice in Risley, Derbyshire. The ‘human-centric’ lights adjust their colour temperature throughout the day, replicating the changing white tones of daylight – from a blue-white in the mid-morning/early afternoon, to warmer yellow-white in the late afternoon/evening, complementing both the young occupants’ own inbuilt circadian rhythms, and their activities within the centre, by changing the colour temperature to match whatever they are doing.

Ashley Morpeth, an Authorising Engineer at ETA Projects, and an experienced health and safety professional with particular expertise in the field, discusses some of the key guidance on formulating emergency and rescue plans for working at height, including rooftop working.

Geoff Halliday, Business consultant at WB Power Services, discusses the practical application of the guidance in HTM 06 to standby generators, the variance with how diesel generators are designed and built, and how some of the most common apparent ambiguities or variances can readily be overcome. He also discusses the generators’ critical role in the event of a utility power failure.

Jordan Bartlett, a Facility & Seismic Resilience consultant at Proactive Design in Australia, considers how those responsible for keeping plant and equipment safe and secure in healthcare facilities need – where their region is at risk of such occurrences – to prepare a Business Continuity Plan to cater for natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, with a particular focus on experience in Australia and New Zealand.

Gregor Riese, director at Australian-based supplier of filtration, UV, and disinfection technologies for the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, Opira Group, discusses an important new Australian standard for the classification of filters used in HVAC systems, and advises on how to select the right one.

An Awards Dinner held on 28 June, the first day of the IHEEM Wales Regional Conference, Exhibition and Awards for 2024, which took place at the ICC Wales in Newport, saw guests witness the presentation of five awards, and hear an entertaining after-dinner speech by Colin Jackson CBE – the renowned Welsh former sprint and hurdling athlete, who ranked in the world top 10 for 16 years, and was World No.1 in his discipline from 1992-1994. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

Dave Hewitt, Sales & Marketing director at Courtney Thorne, looks at some of the key benefits of wire-free communications technology – now very much an accepted norm in healthcare settings, but warns potential purchasers of wire-free systems to ensure that what they are looking at buying is fit for purpose, and will perform ‘as specified’ – for example without interfering with adjacent equipment’s operation – in a real-world setting.

New advances in sluice room technology mean that hospitals can improve their infection prevention and control procedures – while still saving money and reducing carbon emissions, according to ‘world-class’ infection prevention and control specialist, DDC Dolphin. The company’s Marketing and HR director, Zoe Allen, outlines the latest new opportunities available to NHS Trusts.

Reval Continuing Care MD, Jason Ashman, discusses the importance of only purchasing compliant water fittings for use in healthcare settings – with a particular focus on assisted bathing equipment – and sets out some of the key things that potential purchasers of such products should look out for.

Providing a clean water supply is a priority in hospital and clinical settings, but the handling and usage of associated water treatment chemicals on site can be challenging. Kieran Fleming, Business Development manager at Synthesis Water Solutions (Synthesis), outlines the main issues encountered when using such chemicals, and highlights how an innovative oxidising biocide can offer ‘a safer and easier-to-use’ alternative.

Sarah Waller CBE, an Associate Specialist at the Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester, and her colleague, Research assistant, Jennifer Bray, discuss the development, launch, and thinking behind a new ‘toolkit’ designed to help primary care facilities improve the physical environment for all patients – including neurodiverse individuals.

While maintaining a sterile environment is aways a priority for on-premises laundries (OPLs), the importance of this factor is redoubled for healthcare estates – where eliminating the risk of cross-contamination is essential to preventing the spread of bacteria. With this in mind, Mick Christian, Training & Demonstration manager for Electrolux Professional UK & Ireland, discusses best practice, and how new technologies can help Laundry managers enhance both hygiene and productivity.

The striking new Royal Eye Infirmary building created off site for Derriford Hospital in Plymouth by Modern Methods of Construction specialist, MTX, opened to patients last October to meet increasing demand for eye surgery and treatment from across Devon and Cornwall. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

Over the next 3-4 years, a number of the earlier hospital PFI projects will come to an end, and in the next two decades, a significant further tranche will reach ‘handback’ stage. NHS Trusts with PFI-funded buildings have been advised to start preparing early – particularly by ensuring they have a clear picture of the condition of the assets soon to return to their ownership, and getting any significant defects addressed now. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, met by ‘Teams’ with Ian Daccus, Estates and Facilities Strategic Partnership director at Capita, to get his ‘take’ on the ensuing challenges and opportunities.

Maz Daoud, head of Fire Safety, NHS Estates, at NHS England, who chairs IHEEM’s Fire Safety Technical Platform, discusses recent revisions to HTM 05-03, and the implications for fire safety policies and procedures across the NHS estate. Here he focuses particularly on Part B, which looks at fire detection and fire alarm systems, including the reduction of false alarm and unwanted fire signals.

Patrick Morrison, Healthcare Sector director for NG Bailey’s Engineering Division, discusses the engineering and services business’s use of Modern Methods of Construction and a standard ‘kit of parts’ approach to healthcare schemes – which enables it to deliver projects ‘in a significantly safer, better, greener, and more efficient way’ than using traditional construction methods. He draws for ‘evidence’ particularly on recent such work for the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Graham Barker, a Partner and the head of Vertical Transportation at multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, Cundall, discusses some of his experience delivering lift projects in the NHS, and some of the consistent issues he has encountered, and how these can best be addressed. He also highlights the key guidance and regulatory requirements for the safe operation and maintenance of lifts in healthcare premises, the ramifications of BT’s decision to switch off the existing analogue (copper) phone line system from September 2025, and the key capital investment considerations around new or refurbished lifts.