RECENT NEWS

A new on-site calibration service for biomedical test and measurement equipment has been introduced by Rigel Medical.

Rockfon’s new “enhanced and extended” MediCare modular ceiling range is HTM 60-compliant in categories 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Air quality “appears to have been virtually ignored” in the British Standards Institute’s (BSI) new Publicly Available Specification, (PAS) 5748, which “provides a framework for the planning, application, and measurement of cleanliness in hospitals”, a leading UK ventilation duct cleaning specialist claims.

Members of IHEEM’s Welsh Branch recently toured the Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Caerphilly – set, on its completion this month, to be one of Wales’ first two hospitals to feature single-bed en suite rooms, and the largest new hospital currently under construction in the Principality.

Making increasing use of “internet exchange platforms”, such as LinkedIn, to enhance communication between European Members, an update on speaker and delegate numbers for the forthcoming IFHE 4th European Conference.

Risk management was in the spotlight at a recent IHEEM seminar held at Southampton General Hospital.

Members of IHEEM’s Scottish Branch have recently enjoyed two interesting hospital visits.

EngineeringUK’s Board has published details of revised Annual Registration Fees for 2012 for the four professional engineering “grades” – CEng, IEng, EngTech, and ICTTech – based on what its says are “the funding needs” of both the organisation itself and the Engineering Council.

A delegation from the Ministry of Health in Malaysia recently visited the UK to understand more about UK healthcare estates and facilities policy and systems.

The Institute’s Autumn 2011 seminar programme will again include a range of topics which both IHEEM members and non-members will find relevant and stimulating. All seminars contribute towards CPD, and a certificate is presented on completion.

Networking is a key element of the Healthcare Estates conference, and delegates are encouraged to make the most of all the opportunities to meet their peers and exchange views.

Sustainability, and how the NHS as a whole can take effective action to make its operations “greener”, will be strongly in focus at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference in Manchester, with BRE, the expert research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation which addresses all aspects of the built environment, set to lead a plenary session and a stream dedicated to this key area.

Horne Engineering, designer and manufacturer of specialist thermostatic products for healthcare, has invested in a new product demonstration van to bring installed products to specifiers, estates managers, FM providers, and other stakeholders.

Electric arc flash, or 'electrical flashover', is one of the most deadly, least understood hazards of electricity in the workplace, and prevalent in most industries.

Ken Ignatius Murray, a member of the Institute of Hospital Engineering for many years who represented the UK at international conferences, delivering papers on a wide range of hospital engineering projects, has died, aged 86.

Promoting sustainable development, strengthening local and national sustainability networks and partnerships, and reducing the NHS’s carbon footprint, are among the key topics set for discussion during a high profile conference to be staged jointly in Bradford by IHEEM’s Yorkshire Branch and the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust during this September’s British Science Festival.

Representatives from 14 countries from the total membership of 32 national organisations attended the IFHE’s Council meeting in Paris on 3 June, writes Andy Wavell, who attended on IHEEM’s behalf with fellow IHEEM Membership and International Affairs Committee representative, Ronnie Browne.

Health sector expert Alan Maynard, Professor of Health Economics at the University of York, a former chair of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and a member of the Prime Minister’s “kitchen cabinet” on health, plus writer, broadcaster, and commentator Roy Lilley – twice voted top UK speaker on NHS topics – are among those set to speak at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference, which takes place from 1-2 November at Manchester Central.

Gradus has installed a variety of wall protection at The James Cook University Hospital’s new £35 million cancer centre in Middlesbrough.

Aggreko has provided temporary heating and dehumidification equipment to main contractors FCC Elliott Construction to assist in the construction of the new 312-bed South West Acute Hospital at Enniskillen in Northern Ireland.