FEATURE ARTICLES

Following on from the success of last year’s event, the Annual Congress of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc) promises a full programme of events with experts from around the globe.

An overcrowded and dilapidated primary care centre in Tyneside has just been replaced by a new £6.7m development that promises to comply with energy targets present and future.

Following the commissioning of engineering firm Arup with the development of a number of new build facilities for Mersey Care NHS Trust, behavioural consultants from Rossmore Group were appointed to provide design input to ensure they reflect the needs of the user groups and achieve ‘exemplar’ status. Rossmore’s David Evans talks through the project.

The battle against healthcare-acquired infections continues with a need for high level leadership and support, the Infection Control Nurses Association Conference, held recently in Brighton, was told. Nicholas Marshall reports.

Technical director for Serco Defence and Aerospace, Sue Lancashire BSc CEng FIMechE FIHEEM, takes a look at the lack of formal procedures covering some of the highest risk activities within the Estate.

Cost allocation for FM services in hospitals, and the monitoring of quality of maintenance services, were examined in two papers prepared for the 19th Congress of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering. Important pointers for the future running of facilities were contained in the two papers, which are summarised by Health Estate Journal.

This Health Estate Journal ‘Then and now’ feature spotlights some clear thought given to operating theatre design nearly 60 years ago. The article is introduced with a brief description of some of the factors now affecting the planning of theatres, and is followed by a slightly edited version of a paper by James Forsyth which was published in the December 1947 edition of The Hospital Engineer – the newsletter of the Institution of Hospital Engineers (now IHEEM).

The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, devised and implemented an innovative solution to decontamination challenges faced within the context of pressing time constraints. Report by Margaret Hollis, head of decontamination at the Trust.

Winning the fight against infection requires the use of high quality disinfection products, the employment of strict cleaning procedures, and the provision of improved support for hospital workers involved in cleaning, says Ram Singh, managing director of Amity UK.

Demonstrating its worth is a surgical instrument reprocessing service recently launched by Vernon-Carus.

OCS Healthcare has been delivering high quality facilities management and site support services to the NHS for more than 15 years, but it is only with the opportunities presented by working in partnership under the new PFI initiatives that the management skills and innovative solutions of a business which employs 65,000 people and works in every continent have brought about real change in the integration of professional site-based support in the sector.

Alan Hambidge of controls-assurance.co.uk considers that, widely, approaches to the prevention of legionellosis need to be significantly changed.

Dunphy Combustion is responding to the growing demand from healthcare engineers for experience-based, comparative data about the suitability of biofuels for use in heat and steam generation, Sharon Kuligowski, the company’s managing director, reports.

The provision of an optimum environment for the delivery of mental healthcare services is examined by Chris Liddle, chairman of HLM Architects.

Hospitals and healthcare estates have special energy needs and most of their power provisions are critical. At the same time there is the need to conserve energy – not just as part of the broader quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also as part of overall NHS targets and, of course, to save money. Kevin Jones of Schneider Electric’s Projects and Services team outlines some of the facets of power management that NHS Trusts and care providers face.

ProCure21 is celebrating over 100 completed schemes for NHS clients and is currently helping over 130 NHS organisations to deliver another 140 new healthcare facilities. The programme covers the whole of the NHS in England and the 265 registered schemes represent an estimated value of £2 billion of public money.

Once again, the Healthcare Estates’ exhibition will be a record breaker. The number of products and services promoted at this year’s event will be even greater, and the scope of the show will be wider. Health Estate Journal previews some of the highlights.

This year’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition will have a distinctive “wow” factor, says Colin Williams, exhibition director.

Richard Laing, chief executive of specialist primary care investor Prime, outlines his views on providing the right environment for care and ensuring cross-community collaboration.

Results of a survey by the Association for Informatics Professionals in Health and Social Care paint a picture of the English NHS having an embattled group of staff with low morale.