FEATURE ARTICLES

The first half of a two-part report on an IHEEM roundtable in November which explored ways to improve the links and communication between healthcare estates teams and those in academia, both to help drive more efficient operation of healthcare facilities, and to increase opportunities for rigorous research into key areas of building engineering services.

Tiina Yli-Karhu, Design co-ordinator at the Hospital District of South Ostrobothnia, and PhD candidate at the University of Tampere, describes in detail the process – which included the application of ‘virtual reality’ technology – used to design a new intensive care unit (ICU) at the Seinäjoki Central Hospital in Finland, the country’s first 100 per cent single-bedded such facility.

In this article, Hiroshi Yasuhara MD, OR Medical director at The Surgical Center at the University of Tokyo Hospital, presents what he dubs ‘a universal model for estimating the appropriate size for new operating theatres’.

The NHS produces up to 600,000 tonnes of waste per annum – more than 1 per cent of all domestic UK waste. The management of this waste is an essential part of the healthcare system, and yet it’s an area we rarely hear about.

In this article, Alan Hambidge, a Chartered Biologist, Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, independent Authorising Engineer, and trainer at Eastwood Park, highlights the need for sound training of those involved in the design and installation of healthcare water services, and the consequences of inadequate training – including water systems where harmful waterborne bacteria can proliferate and put users of the facility at risk.

The CEO of a Cambridge-based product development consultancy describes how he worked with surgeons at a Northumbrian hospital to establish communications links with their counterparts at a Tanzanian facility.

Last spring, Gwent’s new £350 m Grange University Hospital near Cwmbran came out of the ground, delivered by a method of construction that its constructor, Laing O’Rourke, says will ‘drive innovation, value, quality, and consistency’.

The head of Estates Operations and Trust Health and Safety at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust discussed some of the particular challenges for the design and maintenance of hospitals in a marine environment at the IHEEM 2018 Regional Conference in Cardiff.

Championing engineers’ key role in society, addressing the shortage of engineers from all backgrounds in the UK, and close working with key engineering institutes to ensure that the profession’s voice is heard, are among the key priorities for Dr Hayaatun Sillem, who became the Royal Academy of Engineering’s CEO last January.

Speaking in Manchester last year, Cliff Jones, the Department of Health’s ProCure22 Framework lead, reflected on the considerable achievements to date of the ProCure22 Framework, and looked ahead to ‘some of the next steps’ as it further develops.

At October’s Healthcare Estates 2018 conference, Simon Corben, director and head of Profession, NHS Estates and Facilities Efficiency and Productivity Division at NHS Improvement (NHSI), gave a comprehensive update on the work of he and his team.

Giving his inaugural address as IHEEM President in London in November, Ian Hinitt outlined his key areas of focus during his two-year tenure. Two of his key priorities will be continuing to champion work on apprenticeships and succession planning, and an ongoing drive for greater diversity and inclusion.

Water hygiene within hospitals and other healthcare estates is of paramount importance. Bob Blincowe, strategic account manager – UK Healthcare, at Trend Control Systems, explains how a building energy management system (BEMS) ‘can prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases by monitoring and controlling supply, storage, and distribution systems’.

Paul Millard, Technical manager at WRAS (The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme), explains some of the key areas where hospitals and other healthcare premises can act to prevent contamination of the water system, and thus effectively protect patients, visitors, and employees. He also focuses on the accompanying legal and regulatory obligations.

Dr Nick Hill, Authorising Engineer (Water) at Water Quality London, and chair of IHEEM’s Water Technical Platform, discusses the temperature performance of cold water systems in healthcare premises, based on a study of five buildings during a London heatwave, including the potential remedial actions which can be taken.

Before the main conference presentations on the first day of last month’s Healthcare Estates 2018, professional actor, Jon Buckeridge, gave a memorable performance as the NHS’s founder, Aneurin Bevan, looking back on seven decades of the service, as if he had ‘woken up’ in 2018 at the IHEEM conference

Brandon Medical is a multi-award-winning, UK-based medical technology company with 70 years’ healthcare experience. Its medical healthcare products include operating and surgical lights, medical AV systems, telemedicine solutions, touchscreen surgeon’s control panels, and uninterruptible power and medical IT (IPS) systems.

​‘How healthy is you horse? – the future of the NHS’ – was the intriguing title of one of two opening keynotes on day one of Healthcare Estates 2018.

October’s 2018 Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards Dinner in Manchester was attended by almost 500 guests, with the nine awards and a number of runner-up certificates recognising excellence in categories ranging from architecture to sustainable achievement.

In an article that first appeared in Canadian Healthcare Facilities, Hannah Ward, the hospital’s coordinator, Corporate Communications and Redevelopment, reports on a significant redevelopment at the 89-year-old campus at east Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital.