Sponsors

FEATURE ARTICLES

‘Intelligent load optimisation’ in focus

Why it pays ‘to go beyond existing control to maximise energy efficiency’ when it comes to optimising the performance of hot water boilers.

Addressing Ghana’s rising healthcare demand

A UK architectural practice, an infrastructure and project management specialist, and a consortium of UK suppliers, are working together to deliver new hospitals in Ghana.

Avoiding a slip-up when choosing safety flooring

The role of safety flooring in healthcare premises, and some of the key features to look for when specifying it.

Water wastage reduced and costs cut

A reverse osmosis wastewater recovery system has significantly improved the overall ‘sustainability’ of a renal water system, and cut running costs, at a Canterbury hospital.

Aiming for a quieter environment

The impact of good acoustic products on ensuring a quiet, restful, and therapeutic recovery environment in hospitals and other healthcare facilities discussed.

Being aware of the threats from listeriosis

The director of a food safety consultancy explains how listeriosis can arise in healthcare settings, and sets out the key priorities to prevent vulnerable patients contracting it.

A valuable tool for optimising design

The background to, and rationale behind the development of the Design Quality Indicator for Health ‘tool’, explained by a chartered architect who was one of the co-authors.

Reducing water leaks at Castle Hill Hospital

A building energy management system (BEMS) installed at a Yorkshire hospital has been configured to capture water consumption data and alert estates personnel to leaks.

Using EPCs to deliver energy savings

The advantages of Energy Performance Contracts, and some of the options available for NHS Trusts keen to embrace them to cut their energy bills and carbon emissions.

Hospital ‘assets’ more quickly located

RFID tracking of some 2,500 high value medical devices used at Scotland’s Forth Valley Royal Hospital is helping to minimise the time that technicians spend looking for equipment.

Delivering change – from vision to reality

The executive director and strategic planning lead at Community Health Partnerships shares his thoughts on the healthcare estate’s role ‘as a facilitator for much-needed change’.

Getting water safety planning right

How to establish an effective Water Safety Group and associated Water Safety Plan as part of a determined strategy to keep a healthcare facility’s water system safe.

Be aware of the Adjusted Treatment Index

Proposed ‘point-value metrics’ for assessing the ‘efficiency’ of NHS Trusts relative to their peers could be inherently flawed, a former NHS estates and facilities manager warns.

Vigilance vital to ensure high standards

The variable quality of new surgical instruments arriving at a leading London hospital, and an auditing process to ensure defective such devices never reach the operating theatre, were discussed at a recent IHEEM seminar.

Six thousand lessons ‘learned the hard way’

An independent water hygiene consultant and Authorising Engineer (Water) reports on the potential lessons from his recent work collecting Pseudomonas aeuruginosa samples from 14 UK Trusts.

Complete wing decanted in £3 m renovation

The complexities and challenges, including decanting patients and staff into eight temporary ‘cabins’, of a £3m refurbishment and asbestos ‘strip-out’ at a north Kent private hospital.

A good showcase for repeatable design

A new Design and Innovation Centre at Static Systems’ Staffordshire headquarters incorporates a multi-bed bay – a ‘live example’ of the ProCure21+ repeatable room design.

Complex challenges on larger sites

Some of the very varied and often daunting challenges faced by healthcare security personnel in what can be a volatile and stressful environment, where normal inhibitions may not apply.

Robust, reliable systems paramount

Some of the priorities to ensure a good choice of fire alarm and detection system for hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Clean air’s many benefits described

The considerations that design engineers need to be aware of when providing ventilation in healthcare buildings, with a particular focus on indoor air quality.

Latest Issues