FEATURE ARTICLES

Bill Millar, project director, United Lincolnshire Hospitals, and chairman of IHEEM’s Authorising Engineer (AE) Medical Gas Pipeline Systems (MGPS) panel, describes the latest developments in the setting up of the Authorising Engineer MGPS Register.

This month’s 11th national Health Estates & Facilities Management Association (HEFMA) conference and exhibition, being staged with a strongly “green” approach, will focus on the evolving face of UK healthcare and its impact on estates and facilities services, examining how estates and facilities managers can respond to changing patient and business expectations. Health Estate Journal reports.

Ian Hinitt, deputy director of estates, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Department of Built Environment, University of Central Lancashire, and Dr Catherine Noakes, AMIMechE, Pathogen Control Engineering Research Group, University of Leeds School of Civil Engineering, discuss whether infection control can be improved by applying physical barriers and mixed mode ventilation, with particular reference to a proposed pilot project at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Jörg Höhne, country manager, Germany, at integrated clinical engineering, medical IT and telemedicine services specialist TBS DE Telematic and Biomedical Services, examines the benefits and potential pitfalls of outsourcing the maintenance and repair of key medical equipment.

Glen Hadfield, MIHEA, area assets and energy manager, Sydney West Area Health Service, reports on how the sizeable Australian Government health agency embarked on a ground-breaking energy abatement scheme, and the significant challenges overcome and lessons learned in the process.

The importance of suppliers of medical equipment and modular-constructed operating theatre environments working ever more closely with clinicians on technological advances is stressed by Bill Al-Khatib, managing director of Maquet UK. Nicholas Marshall reports.

Cabling specialist Connectix examines the growing potential for healthcare sector use of VoIP technology and highlights the importance of correct cabling infrastructure as a carrier of both voice and high-speed data traffic.

Having started operations in March 2002 with just three mobile theatres and 12 staff, Vanguard Healthcare claims today not only to be the UK’s largest supplier of mobile operating theatres, outpatient units and day surgery units, but also the only such operator of its kind. Jonathan Baillie reports.

Health estates managers, facilities managers and senior maintenance personnel from healthcare facilities throughout England received, at a recent IHEEM seminar, a comprehensive briefing on how to safely and legally collect and dispose of clinical, anatomical, domestic and electrical waste in line with UK and EU regulations. Jonathan Baillie reports.

A veteran Himalayan climber, who in 2006 led an assault on Everest’s challenging West Ridge, will give a motivational address at a new Irish conference and exhibition designed to meet the needs of all those responsible for healthcare facility design, building, management and operation. Jonathan Baillie reports.

The need for, and benefits of, health and safety audits within hospital estates and facilities departments, and the link with the Health Technical Memorandum 00: Best practice guidance for healthcare engineering1, are examined by Alan Hambidge, director of risk management consultancy Empathy Environmental Consultants Ltd.

Through developing close working relationships and always ensuring lines of communication are open, a Trust and a facilities management company have achieved much in optimising many aspects of healthcare delivery. Nicholas Marshall reports.

Health Estate Journal considers the key legislative requirements on health estates managers and health and safety personnel when it comes to ensuring flooring is safe for both patients and staff amid growing Health and Safety Executive concerns about the number of slips and trips in hospitals, medical centres and care homes.

Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions describes how proactive parking management schemes at two large NHS Trusts have improved relations with the public, helped enforcement and fine collection, and enhanced parking availability for patients and staff.

Children and adolescents’ differing views on what constitutes a comfortable hospital environment are examined in a study by Sanaz Litkouhi, Dr Farhang Mozaffar and Dr S. Bagher Hoseini of the Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran.

When supplying and installing medical supply units it is vital to ensure the equipment meets the latest standards and is being used in the type of configuration it was designed for. Graeme Dell, managing director of bedhead trunking specialist Cableflow International, examines the potential pitfalls.

This Health Estate Journal ‘Then and now’ feature describes some viewpoints from 1960 on how to provide a healthcare environment that helps to protect patients. Over the past half-century, healthcare premises have changed hugely, but considerations outlined in the article remain of interest today. The source of the feature is described in a panel on this page.

UK fire “experts” and senior fire brigade personnel recently heavily criticised fire safety standards in NHS hospitals. They claimed, in a BBC Radio 4 documentary, both that existing fire safety provision in some hospitals is ineffective, and that fire brigade and other expert advice for improvements following even serious fires may be being routinely ignored. Jonathan Baillie reports.

Paul Harrison, who spent 22 years as an NHS fire safety consultant and now conducts in-depth training at independent medical equipment and facilities training centre Eastwood Park, highlights the key fire safety issues today’s health estates managers must be aware of, and discusses the latest legislation and guidelines and the duties these place on Trusts and fire officers.

Sterile service fit out specialist Welconstruct is set to deliver a £3.7 million state-of the-art sterile services centre to serve two major hospital sites in Berkshire. Health Estate Journal examines how Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot and Wexham Park Hospital, Slough will benefit from the new unit, to be managed by the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.