RECENT NEWS

Being developed is the 2007 IHEEM Wall Planner.

As IHEEM members may be aware, the Engineering Council guidelines have been amended. SARTOR is something of the past and in its place is UKSpec. Competencies have changed, academic levels have moved up a gear but the need continues for fully trained interviewers and mentors.

The IHEEM Northern Ireland Branch recently held its Conference and Exhibition at the Marine Court Hotel, Bangor – and the event was judged by participants to be a great success and extremely valuable.

Numerous important issues were closely examined at the 19th Congress of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE) held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa, in May.

The new HTM 01 on disinfection and sterilisation will shortly be published and will be the first update of the guidance for over 10 years.

Rational is running TeamCooking Live seminars and those attending could win a Rational SelfCooking Center or a cash prize.

Many of Britain’s hospital staff are worried that hand-cleaning initiatives are in vain as nurses risk spreading infection through dirty uniforms, a survey by the Patients Association indicates.

An efficient mailroom is essential in a hospital – especially a large general hospital – and a recent project implemented by The Royal Bournemouth and Envosort is a prime example.

Residents of north Glasgow are benefiting from the significant upgrading and refitting of two operating theatres at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

NHS Direct is to become a NHS Trust from April 2007, with the objective of becoming a NHS Foundation Trust as soon as practical after that.

Medical development specialist Oakapple Primary Care, has handed over a 3,000 ft2 state-of-the-art “health village” in Fleetwood.

Every ambulance Trust in England is to benefit from greater access to the Ordnance Survey’s most detailed digital geographic information (GI).

DLG Architects has been retained by HBOS and the Clerical Medical Investment Group to complete enabling works on the UK’s first NHS walk-in centre for commuters in a city shopping complex.

The Office of Communications has concluded an investigation into the price of telephone calls to hospital bedside telephone systems and no further action will be taken by Ofcom at this time. However, it still has concerns about the level of charges for incoming calls to hospital patients.

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Birmingham, under the leadership of Professor Michael Frenneaux, has recently acquired an MiE Low Energy Mobile Scintron gamma camera in order to undertake clinical research in heart failure patients.

Healthcare hotel services company Medirest has been awarded a two-year contract extension worth £28 million in total turnover to provide catering, cleaning, portering and vending services to Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea and Ravenscourt Park Hospitals in west London for the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust.

A top government delegation from the Malaysian Ministry of Health made a special visit to MediChem International which is based in Kent and which manufactures hospital and veterinary disinfectants.

TMC Ltd, a leading provider of global corporate communications has announced the global launch of The Messaging Centre (TMC). This is a powerful, web-based SMS (Short Message Service) platform designed to enhance business communications and continuity within Government healthcare departments, private GP practices, dental surgeries, hospitals, and individuals with a company or personal mobile phone.

Mary Hyland from Eaton Wick, near Windsor, has become the 50,000th NHS patient to have a procedure performed in a mobile operating theatre unit.

The Department of Health Estates and Facilities Division has issued an alert regarding infrared personal attack alarm systems from various manufacturers/suppliers.