This year’s Healthcare Estates event takes place in Manchester on 8 and 9 October, and already record numbers have registered to attend.
As HEJ reports, senior, including board-level personnel, from healthcare facilities across the UK, will enjoy two days of debate and discussion on key issues affecting the sector, and will also have the chance to network with some 200 exhibitors showing many of the latest products and services designed and developed specifically for the sector.
The Healthcare Estates conference is expected to attract over 600 delegates, with speakers and ‘VIP’ guests attracted by a ‘new look’ programme focused on key subjects that impact on estates and facilities departments.
Falklands war veteran’s keynote
The conference’s first day will open with Falklands war veteran, Simon Weston, OBE, addressing this year’s key theme of ‘Putting positive energy into healthcare’, with his own unique story of his own battle after suffering 46 per cent burns to his body when the Sir Galahad was destroyed during the Falklands War. Event director, Steve Webb, said: “His journey is one of overcoming extreme adversity, as he learnt to accept the dramatic changes that impacted on his life, yet at the same time to make the most of life, take on new challenges, and how a positive mental attitude can mean you can achieve anything. He also has unique first-hand experience of our health service.” Simon Weston’s keynote will be followed by an address by David Flory, Chief Executive of the NHS Trust Development Authority, and John Nangle, Crown Commercial lead for Energy at the Cabinet Office, who will set the scene for the two days, by looking, respectively, at ‘Priorities for estates and facilities teams going forward’, and ‘Delivering an integrated solution for public sector users’.
A Presidential welcome
Both presentations should offer much of interest, as should an address by Dr R Chandrashekhar, the Chief Architect at India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, underlining IHEEM’s international reach (see also pages 48- 54), but before the high profile keynotes, IHEEM’s President, Greg Markham, will get proceedings under way on both days by welcoming delegates to the organisation’s annual conference. Here key issues will be addressed in streams on engineering, estates and facilities management, design and construction, infection prevention, energysaving solutions, and property and premises management. With such broad-ranging conference content, Steve Webb, said: “We have had to work hard this year to give delegates enough time to circulate with over 200 exhibiting companies. The level of innovation, and the number of companies tackling many of the issues that healthcare establishments face day-to-day, make the exhibition an important date in the diary of any hospital maintenance, estates management, or facilities team.
Steady rise in attendance
“Since moving the event to Manchester we have seen a steady rise in attendance, as the issues facing estates and facilities departments become more critical, budgets shrink, and costs increase. We continue to play an important role in enabling companies to showcase products and services, and giving our visitors the opportunity to see the latest advancements, and be able to question, and ask advice from, the experts. The exhibition and all the fringe presentations are again completely free-toattend this year.” The ‘Energy Theatre’ on the exhibition floor, for instance, will offer a packed programme of short presentations by leading organisations dedicated to reducing energy consumption and carbon costs in healthcare establishments across the UK. Among the sessions will be ones examining the ‘client benefits’ of the Carbon and Energy Fund at Trusts in Yeovil and Warrington, while E.ON will present on ‘Self-funding investment in energy saving for healthcare estates’, and Energy Solutions will discuss ‘Making buildings fit for purpose’.
Compressor ‘first’ to be unveiled
Day two in the same theatre will offer ‘even more free content’, with the highlights set to include Fiona Daly, environmental manager at Barts Health NHS Trust, and Michael Smeeth, of GE, jointly discussing ‘Delivering more with less in a difficult environment’, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries introducing what it says is ‘the first CO2 two-stage compressor with a combination of rotary and scroll compression cycles’. Steve Webb said: “In a first, this year, we are working closely with our event partners, IHEEM, who are providing a series of drop-in sessions. The IHEEM Advisory Group – Architecture & Design of the Built Environment (alongside IHEEM’s Technical Platforms), will be holding dropin- sessions for visitors and delegates wanting to learn more about designing, planning, and delivering building solutions that are exemplars of Built Environment – Fit for 2020 Vision. “20:20 vision focuses upon care in the community, easing pressures on space within an acute hospital environment. In theory, such an approach could reduce overall built environment space, thus making the space that does exist more flexible in its use, and generating greater cost reductions.”
Flexibility for future demand
The Advisory Group itself said: “In current austere times, the NHS is faced with an ageing estate, with some mechanical and electrical plant installations becoming obsolete. Remodelling and refurbishment projects now have a relatively higher engineering cost requirement as a result. The opportunity is now primed to replace those installations approaching the end of their lifecycle with newer installations with greater capacity, providing the flexibility to meet future demand.” Other themes set to be discussed will include:
• Use of Building Information Modelling (BIM).
• Briefing ‘through extensive stakeholder engagement’.
• DQI for Health as a tool to help stakeholders through the project cycle.
• Design quality ‘as an expectation, not an extra’.
• Flexibility – of the retained estate, and in new/extended buildings.
• Partnering with private sector expertise.
• Evidence-based design – randomised consumer trials.
• Procurement of professional services – ‘review, revise, simplify’.
These sessions will take place in the Central meeting rooms on 8 October. Full details are on the IHEEM website, or telephone Chris Parker, on 02392 823186.
BIM for the healthcare sector
More ‘free content’ will be available in the Contractors’ & Architects’ Theatre, where, for example, The Construction Industry Council will present on ‘Implementation of BIM for the healthcare sector’, and Stantec will describe how the South West Enniskillen Hospital in Northern Ireland ‘became an award-winning sustainable building on a site of natural outstanding beauty’. On Day Two, the Design in Mental Health Network will provide an update on its ‘Better Bedroom’, and the Dementia Services Development Centre (DsDC) will introduce its ‘dementia design audit tool’ for hospitals. Pre-registered visitors can now reserve places at no cost in these sessions, and for others in the NHS Sustainability and HEJ Product theatres. The organisers of Healthcare Estates are once again providing ‘VIP visitors’ coming to this year’s event with a series of benefits. Healthcare visitors driving to the event will be offered complimentary parking on site, and free tea and coffee in a dedicated VIP area of the exhibition. Steve Webb elaborated: “Qualifying visitors arriving at the event are eligible. We signed up nearly 400 last year, and hope to confirm more this year.
An added incentive
“This year we also have a new initiative for visitors. Every visitor will receive a card to encourage them to see a minimum of 15 companies during their visit. Any doing so will be entered into a draw, kindly sponsored by Steri-Spray, to win an iPad.” The organisers of the exhibition, Step Exhibitions, have also revealed their plans for 2014. Steve Webb said: “We will again have a number of new areas reflecting the needs of visitors, and what they want to see at this hugely important event.” Next year’s Healthcare Estates will add two new ‘free to attend’ theatres for 2014, with one devoted to BIM in Practice supported by new supporting organisation, The Construction Industry Council, and a new area devoted to medical devices, with a supporting theatre. Healthcare Estates 2014 will take place at Manchester Central, from 7-8 October 2014. For more information, T: 01892 518877, email healthcare@stepex.com or visit: www.healthcare-estates.com
See also pages 57-64 of this issue for a further round-up of new products and services on show in the exhibition at Healthcare Estates 2013.
