FEATURE ARTICLES

A recent report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee suggests that many public sector authorities are not doing a good job of managing operational PFI deals. The Committee’s 36th Report in the 2007-2008 session also suggests many contract managers do not have sufficient commercial expertise, and that the management of contracts is frequently not sufficiently resourced. Health Estate Journal reports on these and other key conclusions.

Ian Hinitt, deputy estates director at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and project director of an ambitious “ultra fast-track” modular ward development at Bradford Royal Infirmary, describes the numerous challenges in getting the building completed in just six months, extolling the virtues of Partnering and Framework Agreements and a systems approach to project managing ultra-fast track hospital accommodation construction developments.

The importance of a clean, well-ordered, healthcare estate in meeting ever-higher patient expectations, the growing recognition of the strong link between a well-maintained estate and clinical excellence, and the increasing emphasis on sustainability, were among the main themes of both the presidential address and the two keynote presentations at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference. Jonathan Baillie reports.

In late 2006, the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, approved the start of building of the new Sharjah Teaching Hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Jim Cozens, MIHEA, the new facility’s engineering services manager, describes the services set to be offered and looks forward to the hospital’s opening, scheduled for late this year.

Ray Bielby MIHEA, RN, MHSM, business development manager and medical equipment planner /clinical consultant, Schiavello Hospital Solutions, examines how medical equipment planning can encompass sustainability goals.

An imaginative scheme for a children’s speech and language clinic to be sited in a part of Newcastle Upon Tyne rich in history, and a design for a new oncology centre, in Breda, Holland, conceived to help “break the taboo that shrouds cancer” won the student architects the first and second prizes respectively in the 2008 Architects for Health (AfH) Student Awards. Health Estate Journal reports.

At one of East Anglia’s largest hospitals, OCS Healthcare claims to have contributed to a “remarkable climate of change” with 13 specialist services, bringing tangible benefits to the half million people served by The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust. The head of OCS Healthcare, Mark Coppard, describes what the company dubs an “exemplar of private sector expertise supporting public healthcare excellence”.

Derek Middleton, regional director, and Steve Gunning, director, at multi-disciplinary planning, design and engineering consultancy Faber Maunsell, look back on a complex, yet rewarding, project to deliver Europe’s largest state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility, highlighting some of the challenges the project team faced in bringing the scheme in on time and budget.

The requirement for safety testing of clinical laboratory medical equipment is regarded as essential to ensure that apparatus does not pose a user or patient hazard. John Backes, sales and product manager, Rigel Medical, considers the implications of the new IEC standard for the in-service and post-repair testing of electromedical devices.

A recent study by researchers at The University of Sheffield suggested that, despite the avowed intention to cater for young people of all ages, the majority of hospital accommodation is overly geared to the needs and preferences of its youngest occupants, rather than those of older children and adolescents.

Tracy Cook, the NHS European Office’s European policy manager (pictured), examines the European Emissions Trading Scheme (the ETS) and its implications for the NHS, and focuses on some of the key concerns expressed by NHS estates and facilities managers during recent consultations as proposed revisions to the scheme are discussed at a national ministerial and European Parliament level.

Excellent teamworking and a spirit of co-operation have characterised the design, construction and, over the past year, operation of a new £25 million PFI-funded Surgical Centre at Kingston Hospital, Surrey, to be run under a 30-year concession by special purpose vehicle and Costain / John Laing consortium Prime Care Solutions (Kingston Ltd). Health Estate Journal reports.

Chris Birch, business development manager, Medical Services, at Romac Technical Services, examines the key steps that need to be followed to ensure successful removal, installation, or relocation of the wide range of equipment, machinery and associated items used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

A new report from the Department of Health’s (DH) Gateway Reviews and Estates and Facilities Division identifies the key lessons for health estates and facilities personnel dealing with ‘natural incidents’ based on the experiences of estates personnel, fire and rescue services, local authority emergency planning staff and electricity, gas and water suppliers in three English regions hit by severe flooding during the summer of 2007.

While the UK’s Climate Change Bill is debated in Parliament, the NHS has been putting in place its plans to lead the way in public sector carbon cutting, which aim for a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Susan Pearson talks to Dr David Pencheon, director of the new NHS Sustainable Development Unit.

A new community hospital in Lymington with what the judges describe as a “human scale that feels approachable, accessible and part of the local community”, and a Brighton seafront children’s hospital with an imaginative external ship-shaped design, both PFI schemes, are among the shortlisted construction projects in the 2008 Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award competition. Health Estate Journal reports.

The progressive development of an electronic-biomedical engineering (EBME) department at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust is providing many outstanding benefits. Nicholas Marshall reports.

Keith Baker, a Higher Level Qualifications (HLQ) Engineering Council consultant at City & Guilds, explains how those wishing to join professional engineering institutes without “traditional” degree or other formal qualifications can benefit from an enhanced joint ECUK and City & Guilds examinations service that provides an alternative entry route. This service could prove invaluable to existing IHEEM members keen to encourage others to join.

Medicinq Osborne and off-site construction specialist Yorkon last month handed over the UK’s largest acute admissions unit, or AAU, to the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The milestone came only a year or so after the construction consortium signed the contract for a facility that it is hoped will radically improve the way patients in the area receive emergency care. Jonathan Baillie reports.

Mike Moran, business development manager, Industrial Construction, at Bostik, explains how a range of new sealants can increase protection in hospital bathrooms, shower rooms and kitchen facilities against healthcare-acquired infections.