RECENT NEWS

The NHS has for many years built, managed and used its own facilities management (FM) software and the most recent version of this, Eclipse-fm, has been recently updated with new modules. Built with more than 25 years of NHS experience, Eclipse-fm has been designed specifically for the Health Service with input from NHS Trust staff from throughout the UK. Users report that the software, provided by the Healthcare Facilities Consortium (HFC), a not for profit company and IHEEM Corporate Affiliate, is exceptionally flexible and designed to adapt to the varying needs of estates and facilities professionals across the breadth of the NHS.

The Department of Health has issued a statement confirming that following the recent appointment of Rob Smith as director of estates and facilities management, ProCure21 transferred from its interim position in the Commercial Directorate to the DH Estates and Facilities Management division, from January 2006. The final decision about its fit with current estates developments will be made by the Estates Division in due course.

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust has selected The Investors in the Community Programme, managed by Mill Group, as preferred bidder for Northampton’s £34 million PFI mental health facility project.

In an effort to continue to develop capacity and the E&FM (estates and facilities management) workforce during 2006, a new project has been set up with Department of Health (DH) Estates and Facilities to ensure that the good work and learning gained, continues after the abolition of NHS Estates and its previous partner the NHS University. The project will be led by David Whiteley and project managed by Ruth Benjamin.

Two intensive two-day courses covering law, procedure, report writing and oral evidence skills for professionals undertaking expert witness work are to be held by InPractice and the Inns of Court School of Law, City University, London.

Earthing, supply impedence, adjacent voltages, resilience and circuit relationships are some of the key electrical safety topics addressed by MEIGan, a medical equipment installation guidance document issued by MHRA.

The ETB recently launched its new statistical digest, Engineering UK.

The Futurebuild conference and exhibition being staged at Earls Court 2, London (22-23 February), will focus on innovations including those found in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

Applications are currently being invited for the next Facilities Management Development Centre Programme. The Pre-Centre Briefing and Preparation Day will be Wednesday, 29 March and the Residential Centre will be from 25 to 27 April.

Welsh Health Estates in association with the IHEEM Welsh Branch have announced further details of their joint conference to be staged in Cardiff on 30 and 31 March 2006.

7-11 May 2006: IFHE 19th Congress, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Enquiries: Strategic Business Services, e-mail: registrar@sbs.co.za

The Engineering Council UK (ECUK) has published two new leaflets that succinctly describe how engineers can become professionally registered. One deals with registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and the other with gaining the title of Incorporated Engineer (IEng).

IHEEM would like to congratulate Andrew Bishop and Paul Eaton for achieving registration with the Engineering Council UK as Incorporated Engineers.

The 1st European Conference on Healthcare Engineering was held in Baden-Baden, Germany, last September – the event was staged by the European Competence Center of Healthcare Engineering (ECCHE), an organisation formed by a group of associations most of which are members of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE).

Members of IHEEM are reminded that LAW Express is able to provide them with free and impartial telephone legal advice on a range of personal and business problems.

The next Advanced Course in Sterilization Technology and the Qualifying Course for Authorised Person (Sterilizers) Registration Year 2006 is to commence imminently.

Construction company Bluestone is continuing to build its reputation as a leading provider of healthcare buildings by securing a framework to deliver three state-of-the-art health and social care centres in Doncaster. The new facilities, worth around £9 million, will be developed as part of a national framework to improve community healthcare across the UK following the launch of the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) initiative.

The Skanska Innisfree consortium has been named preferred bidder for the £265 million hospital redevelopment of Kings Mill and Mansfield hospitals for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust and Mansfield District Primary Care Trust. Consortium architect, Swanke Hayden Connell, is the design team leader for the 95,000 m2 new building and refurbishment project.

Health Estate Journal was amongst the first to visit the world’s first mobile endoscopy unit, at its unveiling at the Healthcare Estates event in Harrogate in November 2005.

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust has launched an exciting new recycling initiative across its administration and catering departments. The green overhaul includes the provision of recycling bins across the hospital to encourage staff to recycle all consumer waste including paper, cardboard, plastics, cans and glass.