Artificial intelligence is now firmly embedded in the healthcare conversation. It appears in strategy documents, vendor briefings, innovation programmes, conference agendas, and boardroom discussions across the sector. Yet for all the visibility AI now enjoys, the operational reality on the ground remains mixed. Many healthcare organisations are still struggling to translate AI ambition into meaningful,

Willmott Dixon Interiors recently brought together senior NHS estates professionals and specialists in design, project, and cost management to reflect on topics including planning risk, delivery capacity, decarbonisation, and digital readiness. Reflecting on these discussions, Will Walkinton, healthcare sector lead at Willmott Dixon Interiors, explores the growing gap between policy ambition and on-the-ground delivery across

An anxious wait is an unavoidable part of many hospital visits. Moreover, departments are often located deep within buildings or acute services blocks, where enclosed corridors and limited natural daylight can negatively impact how patients feel while waiting for appointments. With millions of people waiting for NHS treatment, and more than 25 million diagnostic tests

Green roofs have become a familiar feature on developments of all types, but their application in healthcare settings is particularly interesting. Beyond the well-documented technical benefits — such as surface water attenuation, improved thermal performance, and biodiversity gain — there is a substantial and growing body of clinical evidence linking access to green space with

In healthcare construction, some of the most critical spaces are also the least glamorous. Plant rooms are engineered with precision. Operating theatres receive forensic attention. Patient bedrooms are designed with hospitality in mind. And then there is the sluice room. Often treated as a secondary consideration, squeezed into leftover space or revisited late in the

As Trusts accelerate electrification of heat and wider decarbonisation, electricity demand across hospital sites is beginning to outpace available grid capacity. What was once seen as a technical issue is now acting as a real blocker to retrofit programmes, new clinical facilities, and EV rollout. Trusts cannot simply wait for grid reinforcement; instead, as Craig

A masterclass in fast-tracked healthcare engineering, the £15m Ward 6 Ventilation Inpatient Centre (VIC) project at Aintree University Hospital Liverpool has transformed a high-risk structural challenge into a high-quality clinical facility, eradicating RAAC and completely reimagining the estate. As a result, the Major Capital Projects Team has created a facility that is now one of

After 20 years, HTM 02-01 has changed. The 2026 revision is much more than an update of technical references or a replacement for an ageing document. Parts A and B together establish a stronger lifecycle approach to Medical Gas Pipeline Systems (MGPS), linking the way systems are conceived and designed with the way they are

The NHS Estates Technical Bulletin (NETB) No. 2024/3 provides supplementary guidance to HTM 04-01: Safe Water in Healthcare Premises. The purpose of this bulletin is to highlight the importance of ensuring that healthcare environments are designed and managed to protect patients who are at high risk of infection from non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and other waterborne

Richard Burgin, assistant director of securing the future at AGH Solutions – a wholly owned subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust – discusses the work being undertaken for its RAAC management programme at Airedale General Hospital and the challenge of carrying out extensive inspection, monitoring, maintenance, and strengthening works while maintaining a fully operational healthcare

On a very hot, sunny day in early July, Health Estate Journal drove to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to visit the site’s new six-storey Surgical Elective Centre (SEC), which has been designed and constructed by Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) specialist MTX for Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust. Occupying a former car

Dr Colette Jeffrey has been identifying and solving wayfinding problems in NHS hospitals for many years. Having written the official NHS Wayfinding guidance and worked with more than 25 NHS hospitals, she recently completed a PhD study that investigated why people get lost in buildings. This article explains why hospital wayfinding is so difficult, the

Through its industrialisation strategy and Hospital 2.0 approach, the New Hospital Programme is demonstrating how decisions shaping hospital delivery can also shape how hospitals are maintained, adapted and operated for decades to come. Here, Dr Abbie Romano, head of industrialisation for the NHP at NHS England, explains how, by reducing unwanted variability and strengthening the

The Healthcare Estates Awards celebrate 
excellence and innovation in the fields of healthcare engineering and estates & facilities management, recognising outstanding individuals, teams, projects, products, and initiatives in these critical sectors. 
The winners of this year’s awards will be unveiled 
at IHEEM’s Awards Dinner on Tuesday 13 October 2026. Apprentice of the Year This award

The SECURITHERM EP mixer has been designed with hygiene in mind. The body and spout have smooth interiors, reducing the niches where bacteria can adhere and proliferate. The tubes and mechanism are designed to hold very low water volumes and reduce the number of components in contact with water. When the mixer is shut off,