Always a great opportunity to catch up with news, industry developments, and friends from across the sector, the 2024 Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards dinner began with pre-dinner drinks in the Whitworth Room at Manchester’s distinctive and stylish Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. While there, guests had the opportunity to meet and reminisce with Kevin Keegan OBE, one of the most recognisable faces in British football. His illustrious playing career included spells at Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton, and Newcastle, and he captained England for six years until his international retirement after the 1982 World Cup.
Following the drinks reception, the evening’s host, Andy Powell, called guests to take their seats for the dinner. IHEEM’s new President, Nigel Keery (see also pages 24-28) — who had officially taken over the role from Alison Ryan at the IHEEM 2024 AGM earlier in the day, gave a short welcome address. He told those assembled that alongside being ‘a wonderful opportunity to catch up with familiar faces and make some new connections’, the evening was ‘about celebrating the amazing talent and innovation we have within the healthcare engineering and estates management sector’. He explained: “The 13 categories we will present Awards in this evening reflect the breadth and depth of this talent, reminding us — if a reminder was needed — of the significance and value of the work we all undertake daily.” He went on to thank all the event, award category, and VIP table sponsors, and expressed a ‘special thank you’ to the awards judging panel — all members of the IHEEM Conference & Exhibition Committee — who he said had ‘diligently reviewed and assessed a huge record number of entries’ this year. Addressing all, he added: “A warm thank you for your continued support of Healthcare Estates, and of the Institute. I wish everyone in attendance a wonderful evening.”
In his brief speech, Nigel Keery also highlighted the work of this year’s IHEEM Awards Dinner supporting charity, Prostate Cancer UK, selected by Immediate-Past President, Alison Ryan, encouraged guests to donate to it either by scanning a QR code on their table, or by inserting money into collection envelopes on their table.
One in eight men
‘Striving for a world where no man dies from prostate cancer’, Prostate Cancer UK says 1 in 8 men will get this form of cancer during their lifetime, and explains that it ‘works to give every man the power to navigate it — whether that’s helping you to understand your risk, making the right choice about treatment, or getting the expertise you need to feel informed and in control’. The charity says it has invested over £75 m into ‘the best researchers in the world, to unravel the complexity of prostate cancer, so we can give men precise and personalised care with the right treatments, at the right time, for the best chance of living the full life they want’.
Personal experience of prostate cancer
Underlining the work the charity does, and the importance of men having the PSA (Prostate specific antigen) blood test that all aged over 50 can request via their GP — which can help diagnose prostate problems including prostate cancer — was Tony Collier, a passionate ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK who has first-hand experience of the disease. Before dinner, he recounted his own harrowing story, which made abundantly clear to all the importance of early detection. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, he had had no symptoms, but by that stage the cancer had extensively spread, including to his bones. As a result, he had to undergo extensive and extremely gruelling treatment. Given the extent to which the cancer had metastasised, he was originally told he might only live for 1-2 years, but here he was eight years later, looking to do his bit to help educate and inform those at risk of getting prostate cancer about the disease. Discovering he had cancer had come as a complete shock, but he stressed that had he known about the availability of the PSA test, his cancer might have been detected far earlier, and he might thus have avoided some of the extremely unpleasant subsequent treatment he needed to save his life. His message to all those entitled to have the free test was to have one; as with many cancers, early diagnosis is key to clinical outcome, and indeed quality of life, for those going on to live with the disease.
Sponsored prize draw
After Tony Collier had spoken, Andy Powell thanked him for such a heartfelt and courageous presentation. In all guests donated £3000 to Prostate Cancer UK on the night, which IHEEM will match, with further donations made online post-event. With guests enjoying their dinner, the host explained that he would ‘be back with a prize draw’ — sponsored by Troup Bywaters + Anders, after their main course. At that point, and before dessert and coffee, Andy Powell indeed welcomed to the stage TB+A Project Associate, Louis Hughes, to draw the winning ticket, with the winner collecting a case of wine.
As guests enjoyed their coffee, the evening’s after-dinner speaker, Kevin Keegan, took an amusing and interesting 40-minute look back on his eventful career. Many football fans, and especially those who saw him play, will know much about his career, but for those less familiar, his professional footballing story in began in 1968 at Scunthorpe United, where he made his playing debut aged just 17. Moving to Liverpool in 1971, he subsequently won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup, and the European Cup, during his six years at the Merseyside club. From Liverpool, he joined Germany’s Hamburg SV, and secured further honours, winning the Bundesliga title, and reaching the European Cup final. Voted European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979, his return to UK football came at Southampton, where he spent two seasons before joining then Second Division side, Newcastle United, helping them gain promotion, and finally retiring as a player in 1984. Capped 63 times for England, he scored 21 international goals.
After a break, he embarked on his managerial career, first in 1992 at Newcastle, returning the club to the top-flight, and narrowly missing out on the Premiership title. He was appointed by Fulham in 1997, before accepting the England Manager’s job in 1999. Joining Manchester City in May 2001, he led the team to promotion that season as First Division Champions, becoming the first Premier League era manager to win the Football League title with two different clubs. Qualification for the UEFA Cup followed, before Kevin stepped down in 2005. After a brief return to management with Newcastle, he now devotes his time to his business interests and media work.
While there is no doubt of his calibre as a footballer, Kevin Keegan recalled that his sporting career had not had the most auspicious start. Reporting for a potential trial at Doncaster Rovers — he grew up in the south Yorkshire city, and had always wanted to play for the team, he was met by the team manager, who took one look at his diminutive frame, and suggested he report to Doncaster Racecourse to see if he could train as jockey. From Scunthorpe United, which he joined soon after, he joined Liverpool, kick-starting an amazing career. He went on to highlight some of hir career highs and lows, discussed his spells at different clubs, recalled some of the different grounds he had played at, and some of the interesting and talented footballers he had played with, or against, along the way. Prior to the dinner he had met and chatted with many of the guests at the drinks reception, impressing all with the warmth of his personality, and his engaging nature. He was also happy to sign autographs and be photographed with a number of his many fans, staying for over an hour after the awards concluded specifically to do this.
Lifetime Achievement Award
After he had finished speaking, Andy Powell thanked Kevin Keegan on behalf of all present, and said he was delighted he would be remaining on stage to help present the awards. The host then explained that the night’s first award — for Lifetime Achievement — would be presented by Pete Sellars. The IHEEM CEO duly announced the winner of this award for 2024 as Eddie McLaughlan. He duly came up to the stage and collected the award to the applause of the assembled guests.
Eddie McLaughlan, who retired in April 2023, was formerly Assistant Director (Engineering, Environment and Decontamination) NHS Scotland Assure, and is a Chartered Environmental Engineer with 35 years’ building services industry experience. With Health Facilities Scotland since its inception in 1995, he was a key player in the creation of NHS Scotland Assure. His last role before he retired saw him seconded to a major hospital construction project — as part of the Monklands Replacement Project Team at NHS Lanarkshire (involving a complete replacement of Monklands Hospital in Airdrie) — to promote the assurance objectives of NHS Scotland, focusing particularly on critical engineering services and sustainability. He said: “It was a really nice moment to go up on stage and collect this award, which I was proud and honoured to receive.”
Pete Sellars said of the winner: “This award recognises an individual I have had the honour of knowing and working alongside for over 20 years — a trusted colleague and friend, whose unwavering commitment to our profession and the Institute is truly commendable. Our awardee is a long-standing member and Fellow of IHEEM. He began his engineering career in the Merchant Navy before joining the NHS in the early 1980s, where he earned a First Class Honours degree in Building Services, and a Master’s in Business Administration. For nearly 40 years, he has played a pivotal role at the national level, influencing healthcare engineering policies and standards, too many to mention. His calm and considered approach has earned him the respect of many, including several high-profile Scottish healthcare directors, who are here tonight. Currently he serves on the IHEEM National Council, and chairs both the Technical Platform and Management and Finance Committees. Although now retired, his expertise continues to be called upon, as he his actively supporting the Scottish Parliament in its current high-profile healthcare reviews.”
Awards and Highly Commendeds
Andy Powell explained after the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award that a further 12 category awards would now be presented, together with a number of Highly Commended certificates — awarded where the judges felt the runner-up’s entry was of such high quality that it merited extra recognition. Highly Commended entrants were asked to take a bow at their table, with their certificates brought to them, while category winners went up to the stage to collect their awards.
Apprentice of the Year
The evening’s second award, for Apprentice of the Year, is open each year to apprentices at intermediate, advanced, higher, and degree level. To present it, Andy Powell welcomed backed to the stage, Louis Hughes, from category sponsor, TB+A, and IHEEM’s CEO, Pete Sellars. Shortlisted this year were:
- Andrew Kellett — Mace.
- Angus Morris-Howarth — CBRE.
- Kai Phillips — Equans UK & Ireland.
- Paul Cadman — Barnsley Facility Services.
- Sophie Hall — Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
- Stuart Willing — Mitie.
Two of the entrants — Sophie Hall from Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and Andrew Kellett from Mace, were Highly Commended, but the winner, who received his award from Pete Sellars and Louis Hughes, was Kai Phillips of Equans UK & Ireland. According to the citation, the Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance Apprentice at North Middlesex University Hospital is ‘a leading example of how apprentices are instrumental in helping to foster a culture of continuous learning and development’. The entry added that he had ‘already made great strides in his apprenticeship journey’, having won four Equans Apprentice Awards in the past 12 months.
Architectural Practice of the Year
Sponsored by Air Sentry, the Architectural Practice of the Year Award, presented next, recognises an architectural practice that has demonstrated outstanding work in the healthcare sector over the last 12 months.
Nominees this year were:
- AHR.
- Gilling Dod Architects.
- Medical Architecture.
- P+HS Architects.
Joining Andy Powell to present the award was managing director of Air Sentry, Andrew Carnegie. Gilling Dod Architects was Highly Commended, but the winner in this category was Medical Architecture. A team from the practice went up to the stage to pick up their award. The citation said: ‘Tackling the challenges around aging infrastructure, Medical Architecture has been working with NHS Trusts to create strategic plans for their estate. This has led to prioritised programmes of refurbishment, new build, and often, the two working together effectively, culminating in the delivery of acute, community, and mental health projects.’
Consultancy of the Year
The evening’s fourth award, for Consultancy of the Year, sponsored by Stephen George + Partners, was presented by the company’s Studio director, Steve Batson. The award recognises a multidisciplinary consultancy or construction consultant — including building or quantity surveyors and project management specialists, that has demonstrated outstanding work in the healthcare sector over the last 12 months. The shortlist this year included:
- Currie and Brown.
- Curtins.
- EDGE PS.
- MultiHealth Specialists.
The team from Currie and Brown received a Highly Commended certificate, with the winner announced by Steve Batson as Curtins. Its citation read: ‘For over 60 years, Curtins has been at the forefront of developing new and sustainable engineering solutions, designed to enhance the world around us. We are delivering over £2 bn worth of healthcare projects across the UK and Ireland, working with 50 Trusts and Health Boards, to bring lasting good to the people and communities we serve.’
Diversity & Inclusion Award
Championing diversity and inclusion, and seeking to attract a broad spectrum of people into healthcare engineering and healthcare EFM careers, is one of the central tenets of IHEEM’s current strategy. Accordingly, the annual Healthcare Estates IHEEM Diversity and Inclusion Award, sponsored this year by DRLC and IHEEM, recognises ‘the organisation, individual, or initiative, that has made a genuine difference in equality, diversity, and inclusion within the healthcare sector’. Dr Louise Webb, Director at DRLC, and Gareth Longley, Business Development Manager at Sircle UK, and Chair of IHEEM’s Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, took to the stage to present this award, with Andy Powell first showing the shortlisted entrants on screen as:
- Amy Francis-Smith, Pinnegar Hayward Design.
- Shahid Dosa, Ready2Work by Mitie.
- ‘Through Their Eyes’ — Human Conscious Design Virtual Reality Platform (HCDP) by Tarkett.
The winner was Amy Francis-Smith, a ‘multi-award winning’ Senior Architect at Pinnegar Hayward Design, an Accessible Design Specialist, and the outgoing Vice-President of the Birmingham Architectural Association. The practice’s Healthcare project lead and Design Council expert, she advises on policy, design, and campaigns, for legislative change to improve the lives of disabled people. She is also a twice-published RIBA author, a ‘RIBAJ Rising Star’, and ranked number 6 on Shaw Trust’s Power 100 list of the UK’s most influential disabled people.
Estates & Facilities Champion of Champions Award
Asha Devi, a Director at Arup, and Nigel Keery from IHEEM, next presented the Estates & Facilities Champion of Champions Award, sponsored by Arup, which recognises an estates and facilities professional ‘that has gone above and beyond to improve the patient environment’. This year two individuals were shortlisted — Paul Fitzpatrick — Director of Estates and Facilities, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who was Highly Commended, and the winner, Paula Melhuish — Deputy Director of Estates, Facilities & Capital Development, at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Since her career at UHS started in 1995 as a Residences manager, the citation said Paula Melhuish had taken the hospital through ‘numerous developments’ to progress to her current role. She has become the ‘go to person for a massive array of schemes, projects, vision, and organisational memory’, and with her focus on delivery and governance, is ‘hugely respected’ by all who work alongside her.
Estates & Facilities Team of the Year
A second estates and facilities-related award, for Estates & Facilities Team of the Year, goes annually to a team working in the healthcare sector that ‘has demonstrated outstanding achievement, performance, and delivery of estates and facilities services, with examples of how practical or technical obstacles have been overcome, cost savings have been achieved, and innovative ways of working have been introduced’.
Sponsored this year by EDGE PS and IHEEM, this category saw six such teams shortlisted:
- Barnsley Facilities Services — Domestics Team.
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust — Sustainability Team.
- Edenbridge Medical Centre.
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust — Estates and Facilities Team.
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust — Estates Team.
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust — Estates & Capital Team.
Hughie Clark, a Director from EDGE PS, and IHEEM Past-President, Paul Fenton, announced that a Highly Commended would go to the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Estates and Facilities Team. MFT is one of the UK’s largest acute hospital Trusts, and the citation said that the challenges faced by its Estates and Facilities team ‘are amongst the most complex and varied of any European healthcare organisation’. They include ‘addressing significant backlog maintenance’, and ‘post-transaction integration issues’ following a merger with North Manchester General Hospital in 2021.
The winner was announced as the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Estates team. Its citation explained that in the past eight years, the team had overseen the construction of five complex new mental health hospitals, alongside managing ‘several substantial refurbishments’, and £8 m worth of annual backlog maintenance schemes over 250 sites, all ‘delivered against a backdrop of economic downturn, capital restrictions, international supply issues, and COVID’.
Healthcare Supplier of the Year Award
The Healthcare Supplier of the Year Award is sponsored by Step Exhibitions, which organises Healthcare Estates in partnership with IHEEM. It recognises the company or organisation ‘that has been supplying the NHS and / or private healthcare successfully and reliably over the past 12 months’. Shortlisted this year were Power Control and Veolia. Jay Stacy, Exhibition Director at Step Exhibitions, announced the winner as Veolia, and a team from the company collected the award from Jay and Kevin Keegan.
The company’s citation explained that in the past year, Veolia’s specialist Energy teams had implemented ‘wide-ranging decarbonisation programmes at key hospitals, which will guarantee that they can meet the NHS carbon reduction targets for 2030, and deliver affordable, low-carbon energy efficiency upgrades’. These, it said, would provide guaranteed annual carbon savings of 22,747 tonnes per year.
New Build Project of the Year
The New Build Project of the Year Award category is always hotly contested, with the award — sponsored for 2024 by Eastwood Park Training — given annually to ‘an outstanding new build project that has been successfully delivered in the past 12 months, and is an exemplar in the areas of sustainability, technology, design, and patient wellbeing’.
Shortlisted were:
- Aspen Wood Learning Disability Low Secure Forensic Inpatient Unit — Gilling Dod Architects.
- Brainkind Neurological Centre — Jefferson Sheard Architects.
- Eastbourne District General Hospital Decarbonisation Project — Veolia.
- Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital — Day Architectural.
- Huddersfield Royal Infirmary New A&E Department — Integrated Health Projects.
- Maternity Unit at Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast — Graham-BAM Healthcare Partnership.
John Thatcher, Eastwood Park Training’s CEO, explained that a Highly Commended would go to Integrated Health Projects for its delivery of a new A&E Department at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, but the winner was Day Architectural, for Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital. The citation explained that the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had achieved ‘several UK firsts’ on this scheme, to provide ‘an unparallelled operational environment’, i.e. the RAPTOR Hybrid Operating Theatre and direct-level access helipad. It added: ‘Extensive consultation and meticulous planning culminated in the delivery of a unique facility that will transform major trauma care. Innovative design ensures maximum efficiencies throughout the six-storey building.’ Representatives from the winning team collected their award from John Thatcher and Kevin Keegan.
Product Innovation of the Year
Recognising the best new product brought to the healthcare market within the last year, the Product Innovation of the Year award category for 2024 was sponsored by Rexel. Roscoe Hale, the company’s National Account Manager, told guests the judges had awarded a Highly Commended to Aerocom, for its ‘ground-breaking’ fire suppression device, the Advanced Pro Stixx. ‘Lightweight and the size of a KitKat’, it helps extinguish fires ignited from an electrical distribution source and lithium-ion battery fires. Also shortlisted was Honeywell — for Honeywell Self-Test — reportedly the world’s first UL-approved (i.e. meeting internationally recognised standards for sustainability and safety) and patented self-testing system for commercial smoke detectors.
The winner, however, was Tarkett, for its ‘Through Their Eyes’ — Human Conscious Design Virtual Reality Platform (HCDP). The company says HCDP ‘leverages Unreal Engine 5 gaming technology to uniquely deliver real-time lighting effects in environments — something not seen or done before in VR platforms’. It adds: “Giving users the ability to adjust light intensity and experience settings at different times of the day, there is no known development that offers the same level of control.” A small team from Tarkett received their award from Roscoe Hale and Kevin Keegan.
Refurbishment Project of the Year
The evening’s tenth award, for Refurbishment Project of the Year, sponsored by PPL Training, saw eight projects shortlisted:
- Barnsley Hospital: Future-proofing Barnsley Intensive Care Scheme — Barnsley Facilities Services.
- Blackpool Victoria Hospital Emergency Village — Gilling Dod Architects.
- Crawley Hospital Child Development Centre — Jefferson Sheard Architects.
- Freeman Hospital: Ward and Lift Lobbies Transformation — Medical Architecture.
- Parkview Mental Health Clinic: A Youth-Led Approach to Transformation — Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
- Royal Free Hospital: PET CT Biograph Vision Quadra enabling and installation — Royal Free London Property Services (RFLPS) Consultancy.
- Warrington & Halton Hospitals Redevelopment: Enhancing Healthcare Facilities —Kier Construction.
- Wood Green Shopping Mall Community Diagnostic Centre — gbpartnerships consult.
The award recognises the project team that has successfully delivered an outstanding refurbishment project in the last year. Projects were judged on factors such as efficiency, creative use of space, and attention to elements such as ventilation and energy-efficient lighting, heating, and design. Gary Cooper, MD of PPL Training, explained that Gilling Dod would receive a Highly Commended, for its design of Blackpool Victoria Hospital Emergency Village — comprising a fully refurbished Accident and Emergency Department, a new build 16-bed Critical Care Unit, and a ‘state-of-the-art’ Same Day Emergency Care unit (SDEC), which the practice explained ‘achieves emergency care for patients in the most efficient possible way, when they need it most’.
The winner was announced as Jefferson Sheard Architects — for Crawley Hospital Child Development Centre. The practice explained: “The refurbishment design needed to ‘operate’ like a hospital while not ‘feeling’ like one. A key element of this was to create a calming waiting area, supporting wellbeing and reducing user anxiety. This was achieved through a tranquil ‘forest’ concept, an integral element being a central feature tree installation.”
Staff Wellbeing Initiative of the Year
The evening’s penultimate award, for Staff Wellbeing Initiative of the Year, was sponsored by Equans UK & Ireland and IHEEM, and was introduced by the Institute ‘to recognise an initiative or programme within a Trust designed to ensure the wellbeing and mental health of its team’. Nominees were:
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, for the Rochdale Infirmary Oasis Rooftop Garden.
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust — for its Wellbeing Guardians Initiative.
“To announce the winner and present the award,” said host, Andy Powell, “please welcome Robert Dashwood, General manager from Equans UK & Ireland, and IHEEM’s Immediate Past-President, Alison Ryan.” The winner was announced as Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Its entry said: “Our Estates Department is predominantly male, and following the tragic passing of one of our engineering team through suicide, we wanted to ensure that we provided clear, dedicated, and timely support to all staff (not only men) who might need it. A team of four was created to investigate the existing services available and their suitability to our workforce.”
Sustainable Achievement Award
The Sustainable Achievement Award, sponsored by Tilbury Douglas, was the last award to be presented, and recognises ‘the organisation or team that has made the best use of innovative technology and sustainable practices to reduce its project’s carbon footprint in the last 12 months’. Nominees were:
- Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — for its ‘Delivering Meaningful Social Value’ initiative.
- Merit — for its entry, ‘Decarbonising Healthcare: Merit delivers sustainable solutions with the Solihull Elective Hub’.
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust — for its St James Low Carbon Heat Network.
- UCLH & Mitie for UCLH’s ‘proactive approach and dedication to sustainability and operational excellence’ with the adoption of EC fan technology.
Before announcing the winner, Mark Douglas, Technical director at category sponsor, Tilbury Douglas, explained that a Highly Commended certificate would go to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for its St James Low Carbon Heat Network. In its entry Leeds Teaching Hospitals explained that it aims to become ‘one of the greenest Trusts in the UK’, implementing its decarbonisation strategy with the development of ‘an innovative low-carbon heat network, utilising heat from the CHP, heat pumps, and the Leeds PIPES district heat network, enabling significant carbon savings (over 5,000 tCO2e a year), while providing a resilient healthcare engineering solution’.
The winner was announced as Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Its citation explained that since publishing its Sustainability Strategy in 2021, the Trust had seen ‘an acceleration towards its targets’, but also ‘an increase in the calls from colleagues to strive to do even more’. LUHFT says it ’embraces its role as an anchor institution, and through innovative practices, works to improve the health and lives of its staff and patients’.
The evening’s last award having been presented, Andy Powell thanked all the dinner guests for attending, and congratulated all the nominees and winners. He reminded guests to make a donation to Prostate Cancer UK, and asked the audience to give a further round of applause to special guest, Kevin Keegan OBE. He also thanked all the sponsors, and all who had entered an award this year. A memorable evening, with a suitably upbeat and celebratory feel.