RECENT NEWS

Recognised as a centre of excellence for cancer and blood disorder treatment, The Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology at Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, in East Yorkshire, has now secured a leading architectural award.

The new Akerman Road Heath Centre, NHS Lambeth’s latest NHS LIFT scheme, has been submitted for planning approval.

Latest figures from the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)’s annual PEAT assessments show the environment of inpatient units has improved and high standards of food, and privacy and dignity, have been maintained across the NHS over the past year.

Medical lighting specialist Brandon Medical has joined forces with construction company Willmott Dixon to help create a sustainable, low carbon healthcare centre within the BRE Innovation Park in Watford.

Owners and operators of NHS buildings over 10 years old are being encouraged to participate in a research project, “Making existing healthcare buildings sustainable”, that will gauge how “sustainably” the buildings are operating, identify changes in thinking on sustainable building design and operation over the past decade, and determine how the NHS estate can be made “greener” in future.

A presentation by NHS Employers entitled: Looking to the future of the workforce in estates and FM will be among highlights of the 2009 Healthcare Facilities Consortium conference, taking place at Oxford’s Kassam Stadium from 16-17 September.

GS1 UK, the independent global supply chain data standards and solutions organisation, has announced that NHS Supply Chain has signed up to the GS1 UK Data Pool to synchronise product data with its suppliers.

Mansell’s Ringwood office will begin main works this autumn under a £4 million, 40-week contract to deliver a new entrance and atrium at Poole General Hospital for Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

cfes Medical Construction has been selected as preferred contractor for the design, build and commissioning of a new sterile services department (SSD) for Yeovil District Hospital (YDH) NHS Foundation Trust.

Following Health Secretary Alan Johnson’s commitment to improve the safety and security of NHS staff, 30,000 lone workers are to receive i750 Identicom lone worker alarms.

Over 150 people, including customers, suppliers and distinguished guests, attended the official opening of modular building supplier Elliott Modular’s new assembly plant and refurbishment centre at Carnaby, East Yorkshire.

This year’s Healthcare Estates conference and exhibition in October will be opened by IHEEM president Rob Smith, and will feature conference presentations giving personal viewpoints on the key current issues for the health estates sector from what the organisers dub “the big four”.

IHEEM has welcomed two new staff to its Portsmouth head office team A former chief design engineer at Marconi Radar & Defence Systems with a background in electrical and electronic engineering, Jeff Pickering has joined as the Institute’s new events and education manager.

The complex task of managing waste produced by healthcare facilities will be spotlighted at a London conference supported by IHEEM being jointly staged by the Healthcare Waste and Resources Research (HCWRR) Group (a multi-stakeholder research body into healthcare waste based at Northampton University) and the Chartered Institution of Waste Management (CIWM) in London on 24 and 25 September.

IHEEM has recently awarded Company Affiliate membership to Surrey-based provider of specialist ventilation cleaning Indepth Hygiene Services and international law firm Eversheds.

London’s Royal College of Music (RCM) in South Kensington was the venue for this year’s summer visit by members of the IHEEM London Branch/ Surrey Discussion Centre.

IHEEM is launching an AE Foundation (AE (F)) course scheme of work that will enable training providers to offer a course and qualification that will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to become an Authorising Engineer in speciality areas such as healthcare decontamination and medical gas pipeline systems.

The UK’s first purpose-built transplantation centre, designed by Ryder Architecture, has received planning approval. The £30 million institute will be built at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, already world renowned for its pioneering transplant surgery.

A hospital in Nottingham report that the use of disposable curtains aids them in the management of cleanliness on their wards and that changing curtains is now a pleasure rather than a chore.

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