FEATURE ARTICLES

The Maternity Unit at Copenhagen’s Hvidovre Hospital has recently reintroduced nitrous oxide to support women in labour pain, having ceased using it a decade ago due to concerns over potential health risks to staff. Denmark has since, however, developed new safety protocols for N2O use, and with the gas a highly effective analgesic, the hospital wanted to reintroduce it, but needed to address its substantial climate footprint. Jannik Jensen, Global Product manager at Medclair, and his colleague, R&D manager, Olesya Nikonova, explain how a Medclair central nitrous oxide destruction system met the brief.

Brook Smith, Partner at independent property consultants, RLB, discusses six-facet surveys’ key part in supporting healthcare estates and facilities management personnel meet their sustainability targets, and work towards the objectives in their Green Plans.

A new NHS Modern Methods of Construction Toolkit and accompanying User Guide are intended ‘to provide a framework and key themes to create a coherent Modern Methods of Construction strategy’.

The Associate Director for Estates & Facilities at East Cheshire NHS Trust discusses a far-reaching portfolio of refurbishment, new-build, and carbon and energy reduction measures, in progress at Macclesfield District General Hospital and two smaller Trust hospitals.

The presentation of seven awards, a drinks reception, and a sumptuous dinner, were the highlights of a gala awards evening in Cardiff last month during IHEEM’s 2023 Wales Regional Conference.

John Newbold, director of lift consultancy business, SVM Associates, who has worked in the lift business for almost 40 years, outlines some of the challenges faced, and lessons learnt, from assisting both Estates and Capital Project Departments manage their lifts.

Tim Rook, a Chartered Engineer, and the Chief Markets officer at UK heat pump manufacturer, Clade Engineering, discusses some of the key opportunities for renewable energy technologies to reduce carbon emissions and bring savings in the healthcare sector, with a particular focus on heat pump technology

In this article, Greg Rankin, CEO at ‘pioneer in the rapid testing industry’, Hydrosense, looks to raise awareness of some of the key areas of Legionella exposure in hospitals and other healthcare settings, noting that this risk is ‘just as relevant’ for new construction sites, refurbishments, and even fully operational, fit-for-purpose buildings.

In advance of the University & Healthcare Estates and Innovation Conference in Dublin, Mott MacDonald’s Alison Ryan and two sector colleagues look at the role of regional heat networks in addressing some of the challenges ahead with respect to achieving Net Zero Carbon

Peter Orendecki, Senior Contracts manager and Water AP at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, highlights ‘the apparent lack of understanding of the risks’ posed by hazardous bacteria in hospital wastewater systems among some designers, architects, and even Infection Control personnel.

Clive Nattrass of the Carbon and Energy Fund explains how the NHPower programme is using collaboration to manage risks associated with Trusts progressing to Net Zero, while three co-authors focus on the opportunities for decarbonisation of natural gas at the point of use and potential wider NHS deployment of geothermal energy technology.

In the third in a series of HEJ articles from key personnel involved in the New Hospital Programme, NHP Deputy Clinical Director, Cheryl Riotto, outlines how provision of care in our future hospitals will be transformed to deliver maximum benefits to both patients, and the staff working in them.

In an article first published in Canadian Healthcare Facilities, Lisa Westerhoff, who leads the Climate Policy & Planning team at Integral Group in Vancouver, reports on a presentation she gave at the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society British Columbia Chapter Conference in Whistler last June, in which she and two co-speakers ‘unpacked and demystified how to integrate climate resilience into healthcare facilities’.

Kent Waddington, Linda Varangu, and Mia Sarrazin of the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, discuss a project in Canada that sought to verify that hospital use of PPE and some medical singleuse plastic (mSUP) materials could be successfully and safely managed by focusing on the preferred principles of a circular economy – reduction and re-use.

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

Healthcare facilities have unique ventilation requirements. Lee Jenkins-Skinner, CIAT’s AHU specialist, highlights recently updated guidance in this key area for hospital premises.

A look at laundry facilities’ contribution as part of a hospital’s overall ‘infection control care bundle’, and some of the key priorities to ensure they are operated compliantly and safely.

Better asset monitoring and reporting is boosting the performance and reliability of sluice room equipment – improving patient outcomes, cutting costs, and enhancing efficiencies, says infection prevention and control specialist, DDC Dolphin.

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.

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.