RECENT NEWS

Capita Symonds has been appointed by NHS Scotland’s Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) as survey partner for Phase 2 of the implementation of an estates asset management system for the Scottish NHS estate.

The CARITAS Project, founded by US “architect and visionary” Wayne Ruga as a global enterprise “committed to creating transformational environments that enhance human health”, is calling for entries for its Generative Space Award.

Engineering is “almost invisible to young people” due to inadequate careers education and guidance, says the UK’s engineering profession.

Britplas, which doubled its turnover last year, has launched a new slimline aluminium profile for its popular patented Safevent window system.

A new off-site manufactured CHP boilerhouse is helping Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust to improve energy efficiency. Following a Carbon Trust feasibility study, The Birmingham Women’s Hospital identified that installing CHP would enable the Edgbaston facility to reduce its energy costs and carbon emissions by generating its own electricity.

BMI’s The Ridgeway Hospital in Swindon has unveiled plans for a £3.2 m development programme that will provide a third new operating theatre, extension to the main hospital reception, a refurbishment of the existing pharmacy, and new consultation rooms.

Airwave Healthcare has supplied and installed a new 600 bed digital free-view television system across 23 wards at the new Peterborough City Hospital – in both single and multi-bedded rooms and within renal department wards.

Over 700 staff at Scotland’s State Hospital high security psychiatric facility in Lanarkshire, currently undergoing a £67 million re-build by Skanska (HEJ – November 2010), are now equipped with Bosch PSMicro staff attack devices with a “man down” feature, enabling them to generate an alarm in an emergency wherever they are on the campus.

MITIE has been awarded a framework agreement by national procurement partner for all UK public services, Buying Solutions, for NHS building and engineering maintenance services – making it (the company says) the only outsourcer licensed to bid for contracts across 15 service areas.

A new “Rapid Fix” podcast from Construction Specialties (C/S) (available to view at: www.cs-finishingschool.com) .

A “definitive new best practice document” on the safe use of telehandlers has been launched by the British Industrial Truck Association’s (BITA) Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group.

The BIFM Awards for 2011 are now open for entry. Categories include:

The 4th European Conference on Healthcare Engineering is taking place at the Palais des Congrès de Paris (pictured) from 30 May to 1 June.

January this year saw the launch of the inaugural IHEEM international travel bursary award. (HEJ – January 2011) This award is one of the ways in which the Institute is seeking to develop opportunities for members to develop their careers, and is open to all Graduate and young members.

The Institute wishes to remind those wanting to submit a proposal for a technical paper, discussion workshop, symposium, roundtable debate, or poster session, at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference (1-2 November at Manchester Central) that the deadline for receiving these is 11 March.

IHEEM will again be participating in the Big Bang: UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair this year, with the 2011 event taking place at the ICC London ExCel from 10-12 March.

Simon Burns, Minister of State for Health, has been invited to deliver the keynote speech on 1 November at this year’s IHEEM Conference in Manchester. MP for Chelmsford from June 1987 – April 1997, for West Chelmsford from May 1997 to April 2010, and elected as Chelmsford’s MP once again at last year’s General Election, the Minister has been active in politics since 1970.

Norfolk’s James Paget University Hospital has passed its recent Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) audit, having called in ABB’s Measurement Products Service team to complete cold chain fridge mapping of its blood product storage equipment.

A new book, “Managing facilities and real estate”, by Michel Theriault, the principal at Ontario-based facility, property, and asset management consulting firm, Strategic Advisor, focuses particularly on the key skills of strategy, management, and leadership, rather than on the “mechanics” of managing facilities.

Guildford Borough Council has approved plans for a £25 million hospital development at the city’s Farnham Road Hospital submitted by the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, advised by Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design.