Sponsors

FEATURE ARTICLES

Meeting the pure water challenges of healthcare

Tony Stubbs, Business Development manager (Healthcare) at Veolia Water Technologies UK, explains why a consistent, pure water supply, and smart monitoring solutions, should be an integral part of a robust patient safety strategy

Digital hospitals setting the blueprint for future care

Moritz Spellenberg, associate director at international architectural practice, Llewelyn Davies, discusses the range of benefits that increasing ‘digitisation’ of hospitals can bring to both patients and staff, in areas including improved care, less time spent on time-consuming manual processes, better utliisation of space, enhanced clinical flow, greater overall efficiencies, and a more pleasant and comfortable hospital stay.

‘Pioneering’ ward layout for Altnagelvin’s North Wing

HLM Architects’ Kevin O’Neill explains how the practice developed what it believes is a ‘unique’ eight-bedded cluster layout for the 144 single bedrooms within a new North Wing at Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital.

Devizes facility – a ‘pioneer in green estate design’

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) recently opened a new Integrated Care Centre in Devizes in the heart of Wiltshire, which is now is now open to patients. Here, Andrew Strange, Regional Partnership director – Midlands, at NHSPS, gives us ‘a deep dive’ into how the project first started, the challenges faced, what the centre will be used for, and why sustainability is so important for the future of the NHS.

Are wastewater systems a nursery for microorganisms?

Dr Mike Weinbren, a consultant medical microbiologist, examines some of the major health risks from airborne and waterborne microorganisms transmitted via hospital wastewater systems.

Creating the confidence for long-term investments

The New Hospital Programme is ‘as challenging as it is ambitious’, says the team co-ordinating it. In the second in a series of articles in HEJ from key NHP personnel, Programme director, Saurabh Bhandari, describes how the way major healthcare infrastructure is delivered must change to meet demand.

Digital capabilities: enlarging the comfort zone for all

Professor Terry Young, a specialist in research in health technology, health services, and information systems, who runs his own consultancy, and Steve Powell, a former Consultant Interventional Radiologist and Clinical director at a large teaching hospital, discuss the sometimes conflicting demands of healthcare providers and patients in terms of the optimal location for medical care provision.

IPS and UPS: the power couple maintaining safety

Allan Jackson, Southern Healthcare manager at Power Control, takes a look at the vital role of isolated and uninterruptible power supplies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and discusses some of the most important steps to maintaining them for optimal, reliable operation.

Practical learning imperative in medical gas landscape

With the ever-changing landscape of requirements, regulations, and engineering practice within healthcare, Michael Ell, Medical Gas Portfolio manager, and Mark Williams, lead medical gas trainer, both of Eastwood Park Training, explain why practical training, building on theoretical knowledge, is key to gaining competency in the specialist field of medical gas pipeline systems.

Exploiting digital technology to finesse project design

Gavin Statham, Regional director, and Mike Robinson, BIM manager, BES, explain some of the many benefits, both to design and construction teams involved in healthcare projects, and the operators and users of healthcare buildings, of effective deployment of BIM technology

Delivering climate-resilient healthcare environments

Against the backdrop of continuing concerns over global warming, Geoff Southern, associate director, Buildings, and Out-of-hospital Care lead (UK) at Arcadis IBI Group, considers some of the key potential ways to make healthcare buildings more adaptable and resilient to climate extremes, and to reduce the environmental impact of both the facilities themselves, and the plant and equipment needed to keep them fully functional, providing optimal care, day in, day out.

Antimicrobial technologies redefining cleaning regimes

Jonathan Clapp, International senior technical manager at Microban International, looks at how antimicrobial technologies can be built into the various materials typically found in patient areas – including disposable privacy curtains, uniforms, and high-touch control panels – at the time of manufacture, complementing traditional cleaning in the fight against microbial growth and proliferation.

The pros and cons of single patient rooms examined

Three senior personnel at public service consultants, The PSC, discuss the NHP’s announcement that all new English hospitals must be 100% single room.

New Hospital Programme: ‘We’re not just builders’

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) has been tasked with transforming and modernising NHS healthcare facilities in England. The team behind it dubs it ‘a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink our approach to the NHS’.

Reducing consumption and wastage in a safe way

Paul Millard, Technical manager at Water Regs UK, looks at some of the key ways to reduce water consumption and waste in healthcare facilities, while maintaining a safe and wholesome supply, as well as some of the potential pitfalls and unintended consequences if water-saving measures are not implemented with sufficient thought, care, and expertise.

The ongoing quest to make PPE more ‘sustainable’

At the Central Sterilising Club’s Autumn Study Day, Paul Chivers, who leads the PPE Innovation and Sustainability Team for NHS Supply Chain, described its work to encourage development of more reusable PPE, and improve the sustainability and efficacy of such products already in use.

Use what’s underfoot to reduce wastage and costs

Rohit Sharma, Resilient Sales manager at Bona – which provides ‘sustainable, high-performance products and systems for resilient flooring in healthcare settings’ discusses the advantages of floor refurbishment over replacement in healthcare facilities

Cladding and IPS specialist’s positive future outlook

BioClad, which manufactures and supplies bespoke IPS units, and also supplies hygienic and antimicrobial cladding to the healthcare, pharma, education, retail, hospitality, and commercial sectors, has established its first in-house IPS manufacturing unit in a new York facility, and – to ensure a more efficient supply – brought under one roof distribution of its wall cladding at a new Harrogate depot.

‘Factory to frame’ approach on delivering new hospitals

Paul Bell, a Partner at Ryder Architecture, discusses successfully delivering major healthcare projects in the context of post-Brexit labour shortages, post-pandemic material supply, and the escalating climate emergency – a challenge that he says ‘requires fresh thinking’.

Don’t let key equipment be ‘out of sight, out of mind’

Mike Dunne, Service and Aftersales Technical manager at Howorth Air Technology, discusses the company’s establishment and running of a dedicated CPD-accredited Ventilation Workshop designed to help contractors and engineers ‘fully understand the specific and detailed requirements of ventilation systems’.

Latest Issues