TOP INDUSTRY NEWS

Work starts in Kent on UK’s first ‘100% single-bed’ large acute hospital Work starts in Kent on UK’s first ‘100% single-bed’ large acute hospital
The Department of Health and HM Treasury recently gave the final sign-off for building to start of the new £225 million PFI-funded hospital at Pembury near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, set to be the UK’s first large acute hospital with 100% single in-patient rooms.

Other News...

Lightning-fast Legionella detection
UK hospitals and health facilities can now benefit from detection of Legionella “ten times faster than before”, via a rapid detection process known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) now being offered by environmental analysis organisation ALcontrol Laboratories.
Efficiency at its heart
Agfa HealthCare has been selected by Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust to provide PACS (Picture Archiving & Communication System), RIS (Radiology Information System) and Cardiology IT “solutions” to “transform the Trust’s information workflow” by enabling a “completely free data flow” between the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, despite the fact that each facility’s system will work independently of the other.
Welsh acute hospital can continue operating
Welsh Minister for Health & Social Services Edwina Hart has said a large North Wales district acute hospital that does not meet current fire safety standards can continue being used, subject to interim measures, but hospital bosses say much of a central 1970s-built ward block needs rebuilding at an estimated £270 million cost.
Galliford Try wins three-year ISTC deal
Galliford Try Facilities Management has won a three-year contract to provide hard facilities management services for independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) on behalf of Circle, which claims to be the UK’s largest partnership of healthcare professionals.
Bringing a ‘leaner’ approach
Two individuals who have studied “lean healthcare” provision in Japan, subsequently successfully applying the key principles at a $650 million Seattle tertiary healthcare centre, are joining Manchester’s Manufacturing Institute to apply the “best practice lean methodologies” they say have “revolutionised” the US healthcare industry to UK hospitals.
Perfect prescription for GP assessment centre
UK office interior design and fit-out specialist Area Sq has transformed the existing Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) assessment centre in Croydon, reportedly the only UK facility that allows assessments of GPs to be undertaken in a realistic environment, into “a pioneering facility” in just 12 weeks.

TOP IHEEM NEWS

Resilience threats spotlighted Resilience threats spotlighted
Two IHEEM “Resilience and Emergency Planning” seminars on 11 June in Birmingham and 18 June in London will highlight the Department of Health’s new Health Building Note (HBN) 00-07, one of the first of a new suite of HBNs, which provides specific guidance on developing NHS facilities resilient to a range of threats and hazards.

Other IHEEM News...

High profile speakers set for Northern Ireland event
IHEEM’s Northern Ireland Branch promises that a “wealth of high profile speakers” will discuss such topical issues as the “pros and cons” of single room accommodation, infection control, and sustainability, at a two-day conference being staged by the Branch at Bangor’s Marine Court Hotel on 21 and 22 May themed “Making a Difference”.
Nicola to spearhead IHEEM events
Nicola Oliver (pictured) has joined IHEEM as the Institute’s new events manager.
Delegate rates announced for Healthcare Estates ’08
The “call for papers” campaign for the conference at this October’s Healthcare Estates 2008 Conference & Exhibition, the leading event for the construction, development and maintenance of UK healthcare facilities, has now closed, and IHEEM reports that this year’s response has been “excellent”.
Rob Smith to take IHEEM presidency
IHEEM’s 2008 AGM, taking place at the recently refurbished Royal Academy of Engineering at London’s No 3, Carlton House Terrace on 13 May, will see the appointment, as the Institute’s new president for the next two years, of Rob Smith, who is head of the Department of Health Gateway Reviews and director of the Department’s Estates and Facilities Division.
New recruit to drive membership efforts
Chris Parker (pictured) has joined IHEEM as the Institute’s new recruitment and membership manager.
Addressing ventilation challenges
Phil Nedin will be among the speakers at a one-day event examining “21st Century hospital ventilation” and being staged by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers’ Healthcare Division at the IMechE’s 1, Birdcage Walk headquarters in London on 15 May.

COVER STORY

London hospital in energy-saving drive London hospital in energy-saving drive
West London’s Charing Cross Hospital has achieved significant annual gas and electricity savings – five million kW hrs and two million kW hrs respectively in the first year – via energy-saving initiatives.
Supplier Search
Article Search

FEATURE ARTICLE

Data security: keeping a lid on Pandora’s box
Following recent, high profile cases of public bodies “mislaying” sensitive information, Health Estate Journal considers the data security implications of increasing migration of patient and staff records to a central electronic NHS database, and examines the key issues for those responsible for maintaining such data safely and securely in hospitals and other care environments.

PRODUCT ARTICLE

Doors improve infection control
Besam is installing thirty automatic door systems for Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon as part of a £2.5 million ongoing refurbishment of six wards.
Intercall Nursecall Systems