Taking on individuals without demonstrable evidence of the necessary competence and expertise is fraught with danger, and – should a serious incident occur – leaves the client organisation, such as an NHS Trust, open to serious consequences – in the worst case facing prosecution. After an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 1976 in Philadelphia, the

The New Hospital Programme has been tasked with transforming and modernising NHS healthcare facilities in England. Delivering it will require a clear and shared vision from the NHS Trusts, contractors, and suppliers involved. NHP head of Market Management, Emma Whigham, explains how the team developed its own ‘delivery scorecard’, ‘so that all sides fully understand

Titled ‘Confronting the Estates Challenges of the Future’, the IHEEM Wales Regional Conference took place from 11-12 May 2023 at Cardiff City Stadium, alongside an exhibition. The evening of the first day also saw a gala awards dinner held at the historic Coal Exchange Hotel in Cardiff Bay Prior to the presentation of five awards,

These – he said – included collating, analysing, and acting upon, accurate, up-to-date information on the estate’s condition and utilisation, identifying further decarbonisation opportunities, and rationalising and centralising services where this improves efficiency and patient experience. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports Stuart Douglas’s presentation on 11 May followed two preceding keynotes by Judith Paget CBE,

They explain that protecting the environment and sustainability are ‘fundamental concerns’ for the Order as a sizeable healthcare provider. The healthcare sector is responsible for 4.4% of global net emissions (two gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent), and the sector’s climate footprint is equivalent to the annual emissions of 514 coal-fired power plants. If the healthcare

The Malaysian public healthcare sector has aligned itself to the country’s national sustainability development programme roadmap, which allows for the adoption of green technologies and practices across public services, including the public healthcare sector. The country is moving forward towards more sustainable practices and lifestyles to address issues of climate change and unsustainable consumption, as

The company ‘thrives on a culture of continuous innovation and desire to produce the most cost-effective, dependable, and compliant emergency lighting solutions’. P4 Cloud, launched in May, builds on the company’s proven self-testing and reporting systems with the addition of an intuitive, web-based customer user interface. P4 said: “It is the perfect solution for healthcare

Frank Butterworth, Technical director at water hygiene, treatment, and equipment specialist, Goodwater, discusses the various strategies that have been used over the years to combat the growth and proliferation of Legionella in healthcare water systems. He particularly focuses on the advantages, in combating the bacterium, of monochloramine as a secondary disinfectant in buildings’ water systems,

The global commitment to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions has led numerous industries to seek sustainable solutions. For the healthcare sector, says Haigh Customer Service lead, Wendy Andrews, a simple yet significant contribution to this goal lies in an often overlooked corner – the sluice room. In particular, the traditional use of hot water or

Paul Marsden, Public Health Technical Specification manager at Baxi, and Chair of the Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE) Industry Working Group, discusses the challenges and opportunities for NHS Estates and Facilities managers surrounding the decarbonisation of domestic hot water. He argues that the high hot water demand frequently associated with healthcare premises makes it

Here, in the third in a series of articles running in HEJ this year on hospital wastewater systems, Steven Van De Peer, an Authorising Engineer (Water) at Tetra Consulting, discusses what he believes are ‘some of the opportunities for the UK to lead in such systems’ design’. He warns that the only way to eliminate

The Maternity Unit at Copenhagen’s Hvidovre Hospital has recently reintroduced nitrous oxide to support women in labour pain, having ceased using it a decade ago due to concerns over potential health risks to staff. Denmark has since, however, developed new safety protocols for N2O use, and with the gas a highly effective analgesic, the hospital

A longer-term solution to meet the needs of Estates departments is an Enterprise Asset Management system that can be used to track and manage assets throughout their lifecycle. The landscape of hospital estates has changed dramatically over the last decade. Where key drivers for those managing hospitals and healthcare settings used to be predominantly user

Andrew Rolf, Healthcare Technical Advisory lead at Mott MacDonald, Helen Sturdy, National head and Procurement Framework and Construction lead at ProCure23, and Colin Hamilton, Sector director – Health, ISG, discuss the Government’s growing preference for the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in both new-build and ‘refurb’ healthcare projects. Against this backdrop, they explain