RECENT NEWS

Nine months before the event opens, the Healthcare Estates 2013 conference, exhibition, and dinner, are ‘well on the way to being even more successful than in 2012’, says show director, Steve Webb.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has raised concerns around ‘the delays’ by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in announcing 2013 revisions to the Building Regulations, and in particular Part L.

The NHS made ‘a substantial amount of efficiency savings’ in 2011-12, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report published on 11 December. However the NAO says these savings will need to be ‘sustained and built on’ if the NHS is to generate its ‘target’ of up to £20 billion of savings in the four years to 2014-15.

Puresep Technologies and Environmental Water Systems (UK) say they will continue ‘as leading brands’ in their respective markets as a new parent name, Envirogen Water Technologies, is revealed for the UK and European operations. The announcement follows the official merger of the two water treatment and filtration specialists in January 2012.

The Wandsworth Group has appointed Charlie Salter as its new non-executive chairman, with a remit to ensure that the company capitalises on its ‘market-leading technology’, and long heritage, to spearhead growth.

Hot on the heels of winning the H&V News Award for ‘Air Conditioning Product of the Year’, Nationwide Filter Company’s (NFC) Bacticell air filter cartridge has been crowned Sustainable Product of the Year by Heating & Ventilating Review.

Barts Health NHS Trust in London’s achievement in reducing its water consumption by over 30 per cent since 2009 at The Royal London Hospital, the London Chest Hospital, and Barts Hospital, saving 100 million litres in the process, was recognised recently at The Environment Agency and Waterwise bi-annual UK Water Efficiency Awards 2012.

Sweett Group, the international property and infrastructure consultancy, has secured a commission to provide cost management services on a 190,000 m2 hospital development in Hong Kong.

UV disinfection specialist, Hanovia, has appointed Tim McDougle as its new sales and marketing director. With over 20 years’ experience in the water industry, he joins from Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, a subsidiary of Veolia Environment.

Brandon Medical, in partnership with Esa Grimma, a specialist in secure and efficient electrical distribution and control, has launched an isolated power supply (IPS) planning tool.

CCube Solutions has been selected by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board to deliver a Trust-wide electronic document and records management system (EDRMS), reportedly the first to be used in the Welsh NHS.

The IFHE-EU Executive Committee was due to meet in Bern in Switzerland last month to discuss plans, and the programme for, the 2013 (5th) IFHE Europe European Conference for Hospital Engineering, writes David Whiteley, the IFHE’s European Council representative.

The IFHE has confirmed that its 2013 Executive Committee and Council Meetings will be held on 9 and 10 September respectively next year at the Kuala Lumpur Conference Centre, Malaysia, just before the BEAM (Biomedical Engineering Association Malaysia) 2013 conference, which is being staged in conjunction with number of ASEAN countries.

A recent article written by Dipl-Ing Oliver P Christ, CEO of Prosystems in Hamburg, for the 2012/2013 issue of the Fahrvereinigung Krankenhaustechnik (FKT – German Federation of Hospital Engineering)’s ‘Yearbook for Healthcare Engineering’, examines the impact for medical device manufacturers, and the hospitals that use medical devices, of the German version of the IEC 80001-1: 2010 standard, published in November 2012, as VDE 756 Part 1.

IHEEM’s IFHE representative, Andy Wavell, reports that the 2013 edition of the IFHE Digest is ‘progressing well’. Most articles have been received and are in the process of being edited and formatted for the final publication.

IFHE general secretary, Gunnar Baekken, was among the speakers at the 32nd Annual Conference of the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society (CHES), themed ‘Towards World Class Healthcare’, and held at Montreal’s Palais des congrès from 25-26 September this year, writes IFHE President, Ole Rist, who accompanied his fellow Norwegian on the trip

The IHEEM-supported ‘1st Dementia Design Conference’, titled ‘Dementia Design – Making a positive difference to those living with dementia’ (HEJ – September 2012), held on 14 September at the University of Salford’s Mary Seacole Building, examined ‘the adequacy and inadequacy of healthcare environments for people with dementia and their carers’.

The Institute’s Council has agreed the following membership subscription rates for 2013:

On the evening of 9 October at Healthcare Estates 2012, the Institute held its Annual Conference Dinner – this year staged at Manchester’s magnificent Midland Hotel, built in 1903 by the Midland Railway to serve the adjacent Manchester Central railway station.

As part of his closing speech at Healthcare Estates 2012, (see above), IHEEM’s new President, Greg Markham, introduced several new initiatives designed to raise the Institute’s profile, increase membership numbers, and ‘support members’.