FEATURE ARTICLES

Mark Hitchman, MD of Canon Medical Systems UK, discusses the creation of what is reportedly the UK’s first carbon-neutral built community sports and event arena with an integrated Medical Diagnostic Centre, and ‘why this unique fusion of sport and wellbeing will be a catalyst for positive regional health’.

With the NHS celebrating its 75th anniversary earlier this year, two senior Arcadis personnel look back at some of the major changes in healthcare provision and buildings, and forward to the key steps – including increasing digitalisation, and ‘embedding healthcare deeper into the fabric of communities’ – they believe will help ensure a resilient service.

Many healthcare estates are ageing, and in some cases lagging behind those in other sectors on sustainability. Does support go far enough for these estates to upgrade and adopt low carbon energy solutions considering the UK’s ambitious 2050 carbon targets?

A gala dinner on 10 October at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, attended by some 630 guests, saw the presentation of 12 Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards celebrating excellence and innovation, and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Maria Julia Souto of AFS Arquitectos in Buenos Aires, Argentina, discusses the challenges of integrating sophisticated information management technology in prefabricated modular operating theatres at the city’s Hospital Alemán.

Josiah Padget, Lead consultant and Healthcare manager of CETEC Pty in Australia, highlights some of the key ventilation, building fabric, and airflow requirements to minimise the risk of infection in hospitals and other healthcare environments, while maximising energy efficiency and thus reducing energy costs.

In an era where quality healthcare and integrated health and care services are of paramount importance, Willmott Dixon’s latest healthcare hub, Grove View in Dunstable, delivered with Central Bedfordshire Council and the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), emerges as a shining example of innovation and excellence, says Anastasia Chyrsafi, Strategic Framework manager (Health). Here she explains how the new facility harnesses Cura – a suite of pre-designed modules which can be assembled into healthcare buildings ‘to suit the unique needs of each community’.

Karina Jones of Eta Projects, an IHEEM-registered Authorising Engineer (Water), takes a look at some of the health risks from growth and proliferation of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria – which she explains are ‘ubiquitous in the environment’ – and some of the key steps to lower them, and thus reduce the chances of infection.

Head of Estates Risk and Environment at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, George McCracken, Susanne Lee of public microbiology consultancy, Leegionella, Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Dr Michael Weinbren, former Public Health England microbiologist, Dr Jimmy Walker, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Manjula Meda, and Consultant Medical Microbiologist at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Dr Teresa Inkster, discuss the role of derogations, and how guidance should be perceived and used to ensure healthcare facilities’ safe design, construction, and commissioning.

Ian Paddick, a Consultant Physicist at specialist in radiation oncology, Amethyst Radiotherapy, discusses some of the challenges, practicalities, design considerations, and logistics, of installing a Gamma Knife radiosurgery machine into medical facilities, with a particular focus on the Queen Square Radiosurgery Centre within the University College Hospital in central London.

Michael Anderton, General manager, UK & I, of HVAC Building Solutions at Johnson Controls, says that against the backdrop of the NHS drive toward a Net Zero health service, heat pumps could have a key role as a primary source of generation in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, replacing fossil fuel boilers in the generation of heat.

James Withey, managing director of Algeco, a long-established brand in the European modular services and infrastructure industry, looks at how offsite construction and modular buildings for hire can play a leading role in improving the UK’s existing healthcare estate – where a number of buildings are now ageing and in less than ideal condition.

In this ‘Q&A’-style article, Martin Green, Commercial Training and Support manager at Hochiki Europe, discusses some of the key questions that health estates and facilities teams, hospital building owners, and responsible persons within the healthcare sector, need to ask to ensure the safe and compliant installation of emergency lighting.

Tomas Jucas, a principal electrical engineer within the National Healthcare Team at Mott MacDonald, presents what he dubs an ‘open review of the proposition that Battery Energy Storage Systems could be considered a green alternative to carbon-emitting standby diesel generators located at healthcare sites’.

At the IHEEM Wales Regional Conference, Anthony Pitcher, Senior Fire Safety Adviser, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Specialist Estates Services, discussed key fire safety challenges when decarbonising buildings

Building on success in delivering its solution for NHS Trusts to manage their PAM submissions, QuiqSolutions, in conjunction with IHEEM, is launching a suite of digital tools to assist in EFM governance and the AE auditing process.

Speaking at a well-attended IHEEM 2023 Authorising Engineers Conference at Epsom Downs Racecourse in July, representatives from IHEEM’s Technical Platforms updated delegates on some of their Platform’s key activities in recent months, and looked ahead to some of the exciting initiatives and work they have planned. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

Duane Passman, FIHEEM, Co-Chair of IHEEM’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, reports on the Group’s work since it was formed six years ago.

Dr. Amy Drahota, from the University of Portsmouth, and Dr. Iman Mohagheghian, from the University of Surrey, discuss an often-overlooked consideration for flooring decision-makers – that of shock-absorbency, and the impact of installing shock-absorbent flooring on patient fall-related injuries and staff safety.

David Pownall, Vice-President of Services at Schneider Electric UK & Ireland, explains how digitisation of power management, and deployment of ‘intelligent’ building management systems in healthcare facilities, can bring considerable benefits for healthcare Estates and Facilities managers – not only supporting their drive towards Net Zero, and cutting cost and emissions, but also helping them get the optimal performance, efficiency, and reliability, from their equipment.