The healthcare sector faces mounting pressures to reduce its carbon footprint and energy consumption while continuing to provide essential services. Global targets, such as those outlined in the Paris Agreement, call for limiting temperature rises to 1.5 °C, and cutting emissions annually. These goals highlight the urgent need for action across all industries, including healthcare.

The potential issues with RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) – a lightweight precast concrete frequently used in UK public sector buildings from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s, are well documented. All NHS hospital sites in England with confirmed RAAC are now in NHS England’s ongoing national RAAC programme – allocated £954 m since the 2021-2022

Two ‘state-of-the-art’ new hospital wards have opened at the Western Community Hospital in Southampton, providing specialist rehabilitation care to people living in and around the area. Their opening has seen patients and staff re-located to the new facilities from two ageing rehabilitation wards at the nearby Royal South Hants Hospital, bringing together many of Hampshire

Jan Kroman, a Principal at Canada’s Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman (RPK) Architects, based in Edmonton, Alberta, discusses a project to create a new Emergency Department at the city’s Misericordia Community Hospital. He explains that development of ‘a philosophy of flow’ became a focal point ‘for a physical manifestation of a clinical plan that will likely see

Heat pumps, essential for generating hot water, have operating parameters that differ significantly from conventional systems, requiring modifications to existing infrastructure such as risers, pumps, and main distribution systems, to handle lower temperatures and higher flow rates. The transition is particularly complex in healthcare facilities, where complete re-piping to optimise heat pump performance may be

In 2014, the Government of Nunavut — a sparsely populated territory of northern Canada, forming most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago — initiated an assessment of long-term care that described the situation in the territory as beyond capacity, and not meeting the needs of the Nunavimmiut (Ungava Inuit) community. The study outlined the need for

Maintaining compliance is an important facet in the effective management of any healthcare estate. Teams managing the estate are responsible for delivering a safe and comfortable environment, and providing spaces for clinicians and associated support services to facilitate efficient and effective patient care, while minimising revenue costs and carefully planning and implementing capital schemes. The

The emerging shift in hospital design is revolutionising patient care. As evidence increasingly links well thought-out interiors to improved standards and faster recovery, healthcare facilities are transitioning from stark, clinical environments to spaces that promote healing and comfort. At Jeld-Wen, we have seen new design trends emerging across Europe, with just as much attention paid

Tim Kelsey of NHS England, and businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, called for Wi-Fi to be made available free of charge throughout the NHS back in 2015. The vision of NHS England’s then National director for Patients and Information, and the former UK digital champion, was to give patients greater access to

David Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the AVA (the Vending & Automated Retail Association), discusses the features and benefits of the latest food and drink vending machines in healthcare facilities. He explains that today’s machines use increasingly sophisticated technology to help healthcare estates teams identify the biggest-selling products, ensure rapid re-stocking, minimise waste, and ensure that

This article introduces the concept of an all-electric hospital, highlighting the pivotal role of electrification and digitisation in revolutionising healthcare infrastructure, with an emphasis on the challenges and opportunities associated with replacing traditional energy sources with electric alternatives. Electrification and digitisation play a crucial role in achieving these objectives by reducing emissions, optimising energy usage,

Decarbonising the NHS is a huge and complex challenge, not just because of the size and complexity of the organisation, but also due to the task of reducing emissions without introducing risks to patient safety. The solution will need to bring together professionals from across the healthcare sector alongside contractors and suppliers from the private

I am proudly British, a passionate advocate for the NHS, and work in developing and implementing new health and care models, both here and overseas. My company, MHealth’s skills include hospital and healthcare planning, and working to provide Healthy Living Communities — as per United Nations Sustainable Goal 11. During my career I have worked

As healthcare designers, part of our skillset is to provide assurance that we are meeting all the requirements stipulated in guidance and legislation documents. Increasingly, we are asked to evidence the thought processes behind our design to ensure we have identified, assessed, and mitigated risk. Patient safety is inherently about not causing harm; thus proactively

October’s Healthcare Estates 2024 conference in Manchester saw some topical, thought-provoking, and insightful conference presentations from NHS leaders, academics, and industry experts, with the broad-ranging content touching on some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for the healthcare engineering and estates and facilities management community, and the associated professionals working in the design and construction