RECENT NEWS

Sodexo was recently named as the first company nationwide to secure Red Tractor Corporate Member status, signifying that, having demonstrated a responsible sourcing policy across all its operations, it is now a “wholly accredited” organisation.

A recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) follow-up visit to Basildon University Hospital, found to have “unacceptable cleaning standards” during a CQC inspection last October (HEJ – January 2010), found hygiene standards were now being met.

An eight-week Department of Health consultation on hospital parking charges in England, the findings of which Health Secretary Andy Burnham said would be used to develop “a clear set of principles which balance fairness with the financial pressures that hospitals will be under in the coming period”, ends on 23 February.

The St Francis Private Hospital and its associated nursing home, St Clair’s, both in Mullingar in County Westmeath, have demonstrated their confidence in the anti-microbial properties of copper by specifying copper door handles for extensive use throughout both facilities in a bid to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

A management team consisting of Adrian Parkin and Jim Liptrot has purchased the Howorth Air Technology business from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The company name remains Howorth Air Technology Ltd, with the business now privately owned and funded.

A recently published report from international engineering consultancy Parsons Brinckerhoff Powering the Future – mapping our low-carbon path to 2050, concludes that achieving an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 will be “feasible but extraordinarily challenging”.

Medical “smart terminal” specialist JAOtech has opened its European sales headquarters in the Netherlands, and appointed Bart Dolsma as European sales director with a brief to expand the company’s “already substantial footprint” in Europe.

A new Bristol treatment centre handed over on time and budget to independent healthcare provider UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) by off-site construction specialist Yorkon is believed to be the UK’s largest complete hospital to be built off site to date.

The NHS is “on track to virtually eliminate mixed-sex accommodation from hospitals across England”, Health Minister Ann Keen has announced following publication of a report by the NHS’s Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation Taskforce: “Delivering same-sex accommodation – the story so far”.

With healthcare organisations facing new obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and a raft of other environmental legislation, strategic outsourcing and management company Mitie has launched what it claims is “the UK’s first all-encompassing fully integrated carbon management service”.

With healthcare organisations facing new obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and a raft of other environmental legislation, strategic outsourcing and management company Mitie has launched what it claims is “the UK’s first all-encompassing fully integrated carbon management service”.

The Horsham factory of UK building energy management system (BEMS) manufacturer Trend Control Systems was the venue for the November meeting of members of IHEEM’s London Branch/Surrey Discussion Centre.

Joining IHEEM recently as an Associate Member is 41-year-old John Stewart, employed for the past seven years by the Belfast Trust as a maintenance estates fitter.

Details of the first in a series of seminars scheduled by the Institute this year, “Planning to achieve carbon reduction commitment targets for healthcare premises – practical information and guidance”, have been released.

Experienced healthcare estates engineers are being sought by the NHS Supply Chain in an advisory capacity as part of its plans to deliver a new national agreement for operating lights and ceiling service units during this year.

A vacancy has arisen within the IHEEM Journal Committee, which is responsible for managing all aspects of Health Estate Journal and ensuring that the magazine’s technical and professional quality are maintained.

IHEEM’s London branch recently hosted a lecture on “ceiling-mounted radiant heating in the healthcare sector”. Branch chairman John Crawford said: “We were delighted with the presentation from HCP, which explained both how radiant heating panels work, and how they can be easily installed.

The future of PFI, LIFT and Pro21+, “identifying the shape of capital projects in the immediate future”, evaluating the impact on project costs of achieving BREEAM excellence, saving money via energy efficiencies,

The key issues requiring consideration by those involved in the specification and design of nurse call and bedhead services systems, in line with the recently published Department of Health HTM 08/03 Healthcare Technical Memorandum guidance document, “Bedhead Services”, will be examined by Static Systems Group at an IHEEM South-West branch seminar being held at the Gleeds offices in Parkway North, Bristol on 24 February.

Organisations and individuals keen to present a paper at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference in Manchester in October around the 2010 theme “Cleaner, Leaner, Safer and Greener Environments for Quality Patient Care”