IHEEM says delegate attendance numbers are at “a record high” both for the conference and associated dinner at this year’s Healthcare Estates event, which opens on 27 October in Harrogate, and will also feature the largest exhibition in the show’s history.
At a “challenging time” for all in estates planning, facilities management and healthcare engineering, the organisers of this year’s annual conference and exhibition stress that attendance is an absolute must, and emphasise that there is still time to register. Healthcare Estates 2009 takes place from October 27-28 at the Harrogate International Centre, with the conference, this year themed “The Quality Patient Environment – Maintaining the Momentum”, to be opened on 27 October by IHEEM president Rob Smith. Speakers will include the directors of estates and facilities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as Paul Cryer, programme manager at the Department of Health’s HCAI Technology Innovation Programme (see pages 27-29 and 31-35 of this issue), and Sue McMillan, regional director of the Care Quality Commission. The multi-streamed conference will responsible for the creation and management of environments for care: design and construction; energy and sustainability; patient safety, and estates and premises management IHEEM and AIME members benefit from a reduced registration fee, with graduate and retired members receiving additional subsidies. The organisers said: “The increasing demands to improve the patient experience, increase sustainability and reduce carbon emissions, and improve infection prevention within finite budgets, make a visit to Healthcare Estates more important than ever.” The conference dinner is being held at 7.15 p.m. on 27 October in the Harrogate International Centre, and is open to all delegates, exhibitors, their guests and other visitors. To view the latest conference programme and register to attend, visit www.iheem.org.uk. To book a place at the dinner, or for further information, telephone the IHEEM office on: 023 9282 3186. The exhibition At this year’s exhibition products, equipment and services from over 175 companies will be on display. Features “built in” to this year’s exhibition will include a Sustainability Centre where delegates will be able to obtain one-to-one advice on a variety of “green” healthcare estates issues from bodies including BRE, the NHS PASA Sustainability Team, Salix Finance, The Carbon Trust, The Department of Heath’s Estates Division, and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit. Free-to-attend Healthcare Showcases will provide the opportunity to learn about new technical products and services direct from manufacturers and suppliers. Meanwhile the Focus On FM “show within show”, supported by the Healthcare Facilities Consortium, the British Institute of Facilities Management, and Focused FM, promises to “bring together a range of product and service suppliers with solutions that can assist delegates to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their facility”. For the latest information, visit: www.healthcare-estates.com or call the hotline on 01892 518877.
