FEATURE ARTICLES

IHEEM’s Healthcare Estates Conference, held at Harrogate in November 2005, clearly underlined how architects, designers, constructors, engineers, and estate and facility managers need to work cohesively to ensure healthcare premises are fully safe and fit for function – both now and in the long term. Nicholas Marshall and Jason Rayfield report.

The role of robotic sample processing in the modernisation of pathology services at Manchester Royal Infirmary is described by Peter Jones, centralised in vitro diagnostics market manager at Roche Diagnostics. Stemming from the modernisation are valuable pointers for managers of facilities and designers of healthcare premises.

Angela Vessey, director of the Copper Development Association, describes how the natural properties of copper and copper alloys can play a significant role in cross-infection avoidance.

Dr David Moon, head of procurement for the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), outlines how materials with higher recycled content can be economically sustainable, technically viable and easily available for construction projects in the healthcare sector.

Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition 2005 will take place on 1 and 2 November at the Harrogate International Centre and will be the biggest and most comprehensive to date

Paul McDermott PhD, specialist inspector working in the Health & Safety Executive’s Biological Agents Unit, provides an insight into HSE’s approach to inspection and enforcement in the control of Legionella bacteria.

Richard Hawkins FRICS FCIArb, director of Knowles Healthcare, considers the basic concept of a design and construct procurement strategy.

The intricacies of the provision and control of air conditioning in hospitals have been debated for decades. For this Health Estate Journal ‘Then and now’ feature, Mike Arrowsmith BSc (Hons) CEng FIMechE FIHEEM, technical editor, provides commentary on an article which was published in The Hospital Engineer, the journal of the Institution of Hospital Engineers, in July 1960. The text of this article, which was based on a paper read before the Glasgow Branch of the Institution, follows that of the commentary.

Set against a backdrop of medical industry competitiveness and growth, the forthcoming MEDICA event will present ample opportunities for international exchange of ideas on a range of healthcare technology issues, says Horst Giesen, project leader, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.

Attention-grabbing is a new campaign designed to provide assistance in the fight against healthcare acquired infections caused by MRSA. Health Estate Journal reports on the campaign, which is titled ‘Wipe It Out’ and is being run by the Royal College of Nursing and Kimberly-Clark.

The challenges of introducing sustainable development principles to procurement within the UK healthcare sector are examined by Harry Waugh of Scottish Healthcare Supplies. The text of this article is an abridged version of a paper presented at the 18th Congress of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering held in Orlando, Florida, USA in July.

Nicholas Marshall and Jason Rayfield report on the Healthcare Estates Conference held in Harrogate in November.

Most temperature measurements are not so much concerned with absolute accuracy as repeatability, since focused on is whether the temperature is stable, moving up or moving down and by what rate of change. This is not the case, however, with temperature measurement within sterilisers, stresses Ted Baker, managing director, Isopharm Sentry.

The application of a special, permanent antimicrobial coating to taps and mixers is being heralded as a significant step towards reducing healthcare-acquired infection rates. Nicholas Marshall reports

The Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management’s (IHEEM) Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition is the leading national event for professionals in the field of estate planning, facilities management and healthcare engineering. According to IHEEM president Richard Nugent, the time is now right for estates and facilities professionals to seize the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to play their part in creating a health service with facilities that are the envy of the world.

The vital role of support services in ensuring the smooth operation of NHS IT networks is outlined by Eugene Conroy CEng, electrical director, Eta Projects, who goes on to provide an overview of the IT upgrade works at The Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust.

Luminaire manufacturer Whitecroft Lighting discusses the challenge of providing lit environments most conducive to patient recovery, while also ensuring luminaire surfaces comply with stringent infection control measures.

The first decontamination processing experience of utilising radio frequency identification tags hermetically sealed in metal cases is described by Graham Cox, decontamination and sterile services manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

From the announcement of the first of the new wave of PFI Hospitals in the late nineties, up to the recent demise of the ill-fated Paddington “super-hospital” scheme, the Government’s policy of using private contractors to finance, construct, and run healthcare facilities continues to divide opinion. That we are seeing more new hospitals and treatment centres appear in more areas of the UK than ever before is beyond dispute, but are these new buildings actually benefiting patients in ways not seen before? And is the Government’s heavy reliance on PFI providing value for public money, or, as some have argued, wasting millions on bureaucracy, inflated private profits and sub-standard construction?

Andrew Tweedie, project manager and cleanroom consultant, reviews the impact of the latest HBN 13 on the cleanroom within the sterile services department.