FEATURE ARTICLES

Once again, the Healthcare Estates’ exhibition will be a record breaker. The number of products and services promoted at this year’s event will be even greater, and the scope of the show will be wider. Health Estate Journal previews some of the highlights.

This year’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition will have a distinctive “wow” factor, says Colin Williams, exhibition director.

Richard Laing, chief executive of specialist primary care investor Prime, outlines his views on providing the right environment for care and ensuring cross-community collaboration.

Results of a survey by the Association for Informatics Professionals in Health and Social Care paint a picture of the English NHS having an embattled group of staff with low morale.

Michael Touhey MSc IEng MIHEEM MIET and EurIng Carl McKenzie BSc(Hons) CEng MCIBSE FIHEEM MASHRAE scrutinise the efficiency of natural ventilation in the healthcare setting during hot weather and consider that supplementary mechanical air movement is necessary.

11. 3. Lam, of the Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, puts forward further considerations for a maintenance management philosophy designed for the avoidance of failure and the improvement of availability of engineering services. In the September 2006 edition of Health Estate Journal, he examined the assessing and managing of risk, and now he focuses on prediction theory.

Developments in industrial automation are assisting health professionals to revolutionise patient care. Nick Brooker, marketing manager, SKF Actuation & Motion Control Division, examines the use and benefits of special technology.

As Internet access is now key to the ongoing development of nurses and doctors, Mark Burchfield, a director of CableCom, a leading provider of digitalbased room services to accommodation providers, looks at the challenges and benefits of introducing a stand-alone IT network infrastructure to support the online needs of healthcare professionals when they are in their living quarters.

The threat posed by Legionella bacteria remains significant – and one location of risk is the dental surgery. Report by John Hayes FIHEEM MRIPH MIoD MWMSoc, director of T P Technology plc and chairman of IHEEM’s London Branch.

Using high definition camera equipment, Professor Bill Heald OBE FRCS, of Basingstoke, is able to record images of his pioneering surgical procedures and replay them to surgeons around the world who can subsequently benefit from the expertise he has presented.

Peter Gumm, marketing and communications manager, Electrosonic, provides an overview of advanced audio-visual (AV) technology utilisation in the healthcare environment.

As the enforcement date of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRFSO) draws closer, major changes in fire safety law will mean that the sole responsibility for ensuring fire hazards do not put lives at risk will now rest with the designated “responsible person” for each location. Report by fire safety consultancy firm Fireco.

By exploring the benefits of the latest technology, the estate manager can deliver significant plant room savings and improvements in the medium and long term, says Wayne Rose, product manager of Armstrong, a leading UK manufacturer and supplier of HVAC equipment and off-site manufactured integrated plant rooms.

Ultra-clean ventilation (UCV) is at the heart of infection prevention in an open plan theatre facility created at the Broadgreen Hospital and Cardiothoracic Centre, Liverpool, report Graham Bromley and Robert Brogden.

Challenges involved in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) continue to be significant, and it is highly important that the healthcare environment and medical devices are designed and maintained to minimise infection risks. Health Estate Journal reports on statistics and comments from the Health Protection Agency, and looks at the Department of Health’s draft code of practice for the prevention and control of HCAIs.

11. 3. Lam, of the Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, puts forward – in a two-part article – a maintenance management philosophy designed for the avoidance of failure and the improvement of availability of engineering services. In part one, he examines the assessing and managing of risk, and in part two – to be published in the October edition of Health Estate Journal – he focuses on prediction theory.

This year’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition will certainly be a must-attend event for those involved in all aspects of estate and facilities management in the healthcare sector, says Phil Nedin, president of the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management. The event is being staged at the Harrogate International Centre on 6 and 7 November.

Geoff Dillow, author of Dental Compressed Air and Vacuum Systems – 20031 a supplement to the NHS Estates publication Health Technical Memorandum 2022 Medical Gas Pipeline Systems,2 examines issues surrounding the use of scavenging systems for nitrous oxide during relative analgesia (RA) procedures in dentistry. This article provides practical advice to help reduce unnecessary exposure of staff.

In healthcare, smart tags and packaging are saving lives, preventing illnesses, reducing errors, cutting crime, and sharply lowering costs. Update by Dr Peter Harrop FIEE, chairman, IDTechEX.

Ensuring a healthcare organisation comprehensively meets patients’ new expectations will be a responsibility shared by non-clinical and clinical staff, the recently-held ninth annual conference of The Health Facilities Management Association heard. Nicholas Marshall reports.