RECENT NEWS

Medical “smart terminal” specialist JAOtech has opened its European sales headquarters in the Netherlands, and appointed Bart Dolsma as European sales director with a brief to expand the company’s “already substantial footprint” in Europe.

A new Bristol treatment centre handed over on time and budget to independent healthcare provider UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) by off-site construction specialist Yorkon is believed to be the UK’s largest complete hospital to be built off site to date.

The NHS is “on track to virtually eliminate mixed-sex accommodation from hospitals across England”, Health Minister Ann Keen has announced following publication of a report by the NHS’s Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation Taskforce: “Delivering same-sex accommodation – the story so far”.

With healthcare organisations facing new obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and a raft of other environmental legislation, strategic outsourcing and management company Mitie has launched what it claims is “the UK’s first all-encompassing fully integrated carbon management service”.

With healthcare organisations facing new obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and a raft of other environmental legislation, strategic outsourcing and management company Mitie has launched what it claims is “the UK’s first all-encompassing fully integrated carbon management service”.

The Horsham factory of UK building energy management system (BEMS) manufacturer Trend Control Systems was the venue for the November meeting of members of IHEEM’s London Branch/Surrey Discussion Centre.

Joining IHEEM recently as an Associate Member is 41-year-old John Stewart, employed for the past seven years by the Belfast Trust as a maintenance estates fitter.

Details of the first in a series of seminars scheduled by the Institute this year, “Planning to achieve carbon reduction commitment targets for healthcare premises – practical information and guidance”, have been released.

Experienced healthcare estates engineers are being sought by the NHS Supply Chain in an advisory capacity as part of its plans to deliver a new national agreement for operating lights and ceiling service units during this year.

A vacancy has arisen within the IHEEM Journal Committee, which is responsible for managing all aspects of Health Estate Journal and ensuring that the magazine’s technical and professional quality are maintained.

IHEEM’s London branch recently hosted a lecture on “ceiling-mounted radiant heating in the healthcare sector”. Branch chairman John Crawford said: “We were delighted with the presentation from HCP, which explained both how radiant heating panels work, and how they can be easily installed.

The future of PFI, LIFT and Pro21+, “identifying the shape of capital projects in the immediate future”, evaluating the impact on project costs of achieving BREEAM excellence, saving money via energy efficiencies,

The key issues requiring consideration by those involved in the specification and design of nurse call and bedhead services systems, in line with the recently published Department of Health HTM 08/03 Healthcare Technical Memorandum guidance document, “Bedhead Services”, will be examined by Static Systems Group at an IHEEM South-West branch seminar being held at the Gleeds offices in Parkway North, Bristol on 24 February.

Organisations and individuals keen to present a paper at this year’s Healthcare Estates conference in Manchester in October around the 2010 theme “Cleaner, Leaner, Safer and Greener Environments for Quality Patient Care”

The organisers of this year’s Healthcare Estates event in Manchester say that, based on bookings to date, the venue change appears to be being well received, with the event “on course to be the largest and best-attended ever”.

Five national awards are to be presented by IHEEM in 2010. To be given to recipients during the annual Healthcare Estates conference and exhibition, taking place this year at Manchester Central from 5-6 October, the awards are:

The organisers of next month’s IHEEM-supported “The Big Bang” event, the goal of which is to stimulate young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) careers, have repeated their call for volunteers to help ensure that the fair, which is expected to attract thousands of youngsters from across the UK, runs smoothly.

Plans for a new £45 million neuroscience research facility for King’s College London (KCL)’s Denmark Hill campus in south-east London, designed by Devereux Architects and Allies and Morrison Architects (model pictured), have received planning approval.

When the owners of an award-winning nursing home decided to upgrade the 37-bed property they found that Marshall-Tufflex’s Odyssey Bio Trunking Solutions provided the perfect answer for meeting the project’s cable management requirements and delivering a welcome infection control element.

Portakabin’s rapid-response team has installed an interim building for two Cockermouth GP surgeries, which serve 15,000 patients, after their buildings were destroyed in the recent Cumbria floods.