FEATURE ARTICLES

There are often unwelcome visitors in hospitals – some potentially harmful. Extermination is the only solution for some pests but there are alternative measures for others, Health Estate Journal discovers.

David Harper, a world-renowned public health consultant on the issues surrounding Legionella, outlined the latest innovations and developments in this area at a conference held by The Healthcare Facilities Consortium at Liverpool’s Hope University in September.

Geoff Dillow, the main author of HTM 08-06: 2007 Pathology Laboratory Gas Systems, examines the new guidance in detail. This article will form the basis of a presentation at the Medical Gas Association AGM on 16 October in Harrogate during the IHEEM Healthcare Estates event. Geoff Dillow is an MGPS Services consultant.

IHEEM’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition, taking place at the International Centre in Harrogate on 16 and 17 October, will have a number of significant features expected to attract much attention.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published The National specifications for cleanliness in hospitals, a guideline for meeting new auditing standards that all Trusts must follow.

Benefits of single patient accommodation have been identified and apply in many care settings. Report by Patricia Young of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and Roxanna Yarandipour of Arup.

There is a school of thought that one should never volunteer – and that one should definitely never volunteer to be a pilot or a pathfinder. Introducing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) into an important clinical support service – traditionally provided in-house – probably added somewhat to the risk profile. Len Wright provides the following article based on a presentation given during a series of IHEEM seminars on HTM01 during 2006 and 2007.

The Pontypridd and Rhondda NHS Trust is a multi-disciplinary Trust in South Wales, with acute, community and mental health facilitates making up a property portfolio of 20 buildings and 90,000m2. The flagship of the Trust is the nucleus design 600-bed Royal Glamorgan Hospital which was commissioned in December 1999 and boasts state of-the-art services in providing healthcare to the population Rhondda Cynon Taf, writes Anthony Hayward.

The completion of a 408 m2 major new aseptic pharmacy unit for the St George’s Hospital NHS Trust, London, is a significant example of the benefits of using modern modular construction techniques compared to a traditional cleanroom build. At every stage from concept through project planning to final completion, the use of modules proved to be the most appropriate for the task. Markus Möllmann, Clean Modules export executive, reports.

Large-scale hospital refurbishments and redecoration programmes are not uncommon in the NHS today. One hospital is pioneering a completely new approach to its refurbishment which could save the UK taxpayer millions of pounds if replicated across other NHS Trusts.

New waste management legislation comes into force later this year which will change the way all organisations deal with waste generated on their premises. The issue of employee recycling participation and the right choice of waste and recycling systems should be high on the agenda for the healthcare sector according to Dr David Gillett, sales and marketing director at Taylor, the UK based waste containment provider.

Healthcare Estates 2007 promises to be the biggest ever, and the opening of an extra exhibition hall will ensure that every aspect of estates management is catered for.

Healthcare Estates is now only a few weeks away and there is still time to register for the event. Exhibition director Colin Williams describes aspects of the event, which takes place in Harrogate on 16 and 17 October at the Harrogate International Centre.

IHEEM president Phil Nedin looks forward to Healthcare Estates to be held in Harrogate (16-17 October).

Hospital-acquired infection is the cause of about 5,000 deaths a year in the UK. In New Zealand, there are more than three times as many such deaths as from the annual road toll. The costs in loss of income, in pain and suffering and in direct costs to hospitals are staggering, writes Clive Broadbent.

This Department of Health report explains the implications and benefits of an integrated approach to hospital cleaning which utilises a combination of microfibre cleaning materials and periodic steam cleaning.

Group Health Co-operative (GHC) in Seattle has sold its last hospital. In future, GHC will provide healthcare to over 600,000 people by using hospitals belonging to other organisations. Nigel Edwards and Richard Darch explore whether hospital buildings should be owned by NHS Trusts.

The Code of Practice in the Health Act 2006 will assist NHS organisations plan and implement how they can prevent and control healthcare associated infections. Estates and facilities managers need to closely adhere to the Code, which has the potential of yielding significant benefits. Report by KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS.

A sustainable approach to the design of healthcare premises is essential if the business effectiveness of facilities is to be maximised through their whole life. This report, by Phil Nedin, president of IHEEM and Arup global healthcare business leader, is based on a paper he presented at this year’s annual general meeting of the Institute.

A huge amount of interest is now centred on making further improvements to the energy efficiency of healthcare facilities – reduction of carbon footprints is to the fore. However, there is nothing new in ensuring the best is obtained from healthcare power systems – the Health Estate Journal ‘Then and now’ feature below shows the specific focus on generating plant six decades ago. The feature offers advice on maximising returns from power systems and was originally published in the October 1948 edition of The Hospital Engineer – the journal of the Institution of Hospital Engineers (now IHEEM).