RECENT NEWS

Findings of a European Commission funded research project presented at the recent Health Protection Agency (HPA) conference show that levels of antibiotic use and infection control measures have a significant impact on MRSA levels in European hospitals.

Varian Medical Systems and the Plymouth Oncology Centre have agreed to renew the UK’s first radiotherapy PFI contract to provide the very latest radiation therapy equipment for patients in the south west of England.

P2W is a web-based permit to work a contractor management system developed by GEMsoft7 which functions as a management tool for planned and reactive maintenance work. P2W streamlines work procedures and ensures safe systems of work. GEMsoft7 is a new IHEEM company affiliate.

Why engineers should become registered and how they can go about it are fully explained on the newly revamped and expanded website (www.engc.org.uk) of the Engineering Council UK (ECUK), the body responsible for regulating the UK’s engineering profession. An important addition to the site is a special section on Engineering Technicians, whose skills are currently much in demand. It also now incorporates UK-SPEC, the regulations that are used to assess registration applications.

IHEEM members will have received a CPD Summary Tracking Sheet with their invoices at the beginning of the year (those who did not or who require another should visit the Institute’s website (www.iheem.org.uk) from which a copy can be downloaded. It is now time to submit the CPD Summary Tracking Sheet.

This year, a series of successful seminars have been held by IHEEM on a range of subjects including medical gases and the control of legionella, and the Institute hopes to replicate this success in 2006.

Among new IHEEM members recently welcomed is Ramu Naidu Sathiyam, project manager at the Asia Institute of Medical Science and Technology project in Malaysia. The project embraces a medical faculty, engineering, IT, library, student centre, and administration facility, and his company has been involved in M&E services.

Nearly 20 countries attended the 38th Council meeting of the IFHE held in Antwerp in the summer, and IHEEM was well represented by Ronnie Browne and Laurie Hadley, both of whom are past presidents. Jim Cook also attended – he is IFHE treasurer and chairman of IHEEM's International Affairs Committee.

IHEEM would like to congratulate David LC Browning and Richard A Bateson for achieving registration as Chartered Engineers.

IHEEM can reflect that much has been achieved this year, writes Tammy Simmons, the Institute’s recruitment manager. Not only have membership numbers increased, as has been reported in HEJ, but also the membership retention rate is at an all time high.

IHEEM’s Membership Committee has extensive duties and responsibilities. The committee: · Reviews membership assessment criteria as necessary and advise the Institute’s Council on all matters regarding membership of IHEEM. · Receives and review all new applications and upgrades for membership. · Promotes Engineering Council registration to members. · Provides guidance to members on all aspects of membership and registration with the Engineering Council UK, as well as encouraging upgrades and transfers to appropriate grades of membership. · Develops and maintain professional review panels within each branch area and provide training for panel members. · Gives advice to members on Professional Development and undertake monitoring on a sample basis.

The latest status report on the working programme of CEN TC 204 (concerning the sterilisation of medical devices) can be found by IHEEM members in their section on the Institute’s website.

The Welsh Branch of IHEEM in association with Welsh Health Estates has announced advance details of a twoday conference and accompanying exhibition to be held at the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff, on 30 and 31 March 2006.

IHEEM’s next series of seminars will be on the New Medical Equipment Installation Guidance Notes (MEIGan). The MHRA (the former Medical Devices Agency) has updated its guidance for the pre-installation of imaging equipment and it includes related issues concerning associated circuits in the patient area. The MEIGan document, now launched, includes preinstallation electrical guidance for imaging equipment and associated lighting and power circuits.

The Process Steam Guide has been produced by Gary Sowerby Eur.Ing CEng MEI as a result of 38 years of process steam plant experience.

The 2005 Healthcare Estates Conference, organised by IHEEM, will develop the themes covered in the 2004 conference and will look ahead to what the future holds. Papers on proposed conference themes are now invited from all professionals working in the field of healthcare engineering, design and construction, and estates and facilities management.

Designed to give the professional healthcare market the best light in its category, Luxo’s AIM-100 has advanced optical and mechanical solutions which provide the best working environment for efficient, comfortable and safe procedures. Built in features are shadow reduction, light distribution, spot appearance, intensity and focusing and the flexibility of positioning the luminaire exactly where it is needed.

High specification, engineering quality and competitive price are key factors influencing the decision made by Halifax General, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Coventry New Hospitals to invest time and money in air cooled single screw chillers operating with the environment friendly refrigerant R134a. Since its introduction in 2001, over 1,000 screw chillers with R134a refrigerant have been manufactured, installed and commissioned by McQuay International.

Kohler Mira has launched the Rada Autotherm-3 BSM, the UK’s first fully approved TMV3 bath shower mixer; a genuine innovation to comply with DO8 healthcare specifications. The product has achieved TMV3 approval in both high pressure and low pressure bath and bath / shower categories – an industry first.

In the fight to help eliminate hospital acquired infections (HAIs), and the general spread of disease carrying organisms through cross infection, white moulded electrical lighting and power accessories from Crabtree can now be supplied with BioCote advanced surface hygiene protection.