RECENT NEWS

IHEEM’s Welsh branch and Welsh Health Estates have announced that the 2009 Welsh Health Estates conference and exhibition will be held at Cardiff’s Hilton Hotel from 22-23 April next year, and promise that a number of high profile speakers will share their views on the latest issues affecting the NHS in Wales and the healthcare estate in particular.

An article examining the guidance set out on pathology laboratory gas systems in a new Department of Health healthcare technical memorandum, HTM08-06, won MGPS services consultant and the HTM’s main author, Geoff Dillow, IHEEM’s 2007 Northcroft Silver Medal.

IHEEM’s 2008 Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition in Harrogate last month attracted the biggest attendance in the event’s history, with nearly 1,600 attendees across the twoday show, a 26% year-on-year increase.

Dunphy reports achieving a new in-house record for NHS contracts signings.

Work has started on a £11 million specialist inpatient care facility for elderly people suffering from mental ill health at Walton Hospital, Chesterfield.

David Ford (pictured) who, prior to joining the Group, was sales & marketing director at leading healthcare product manufacturer and supplier Vernon-Carus, and before this, Cardinal Health UK managing director, has been appointed md and member of the BSI Group Executive by testing and certification organisation and Kitemark “owner” BSI Product Services.

The Health Estates & Facilities Management Association’s (HefmA) annual conference and exhibition returns to London next year, promising an international estates and facilities perspective on the future of healthcare delivery.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed the appointment of Arup, in partnership with London-based architects Penoyre and Prasad, to undertake a feasibility study for the external refurbishment of the 34-storey Guy’s Tower at Guy’s Hospital in south London.

Vanguard Healthcare, which provides mobile surgery services to the NHS, is changing its name, and has called in a 25-tonne advertisement to help make the announcement.

Medipex, the NHS Innovation Hub for Yorkshire and Humber, is seeking a company to help commercialise a clinical fluid disposal system designed by the medical physics team and clinical staff at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH) which the inventors say will reduce infection risk and potentially save the NHS millions of pounds annually.

Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis has announced a £1 million grant to help build what it is claimed will be the world’s first purpose-built institute for research into end-of-life care, at King’s College Hospital, south-east London.

IHEEM is supporting a Health Facilities Scotland event headlined “Facilities at the Heart of Healthcare”, at Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire on 4 and 5 November.

IHEEM’s North West branch has published details of three forthcoming presentations for its members on technical and legislative issues.

IHEEM would like to congratulate the following who had Institute grades awarded recently:

Thermal imaging survey specialist Pixel Thermographics has become an IHEEM company affiliate.

Former president of IHEEM and the International Federation of Hospital Engineering, Lawrence (Laurie) Hadley OBE, healthcare engineer, died during August 2008, aged 83.

In a few days the Harrogate International Centre will host (from October 14-15) Healthcare Estates – the UK’s largest and most comprehensive conference and exhibition for all involved in the design, construction, maintenance and management of healthcare facilities and environments.

Haigh will be showing their latest development in bedpan macerator technology with a new disposer which is smaller than any other machine on the market, has a faster cycle time, along with lower water and electrical consumption. This will further extend the Panaway range to three models with the award winning Panaway and recently launched Classic+ continuing to be available.

With time an increasingly precious commodity in today’s frenetic business world, the organisers of this year’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition promise that visiting the event will be an investment worth making; indeed one that will be “repaid many times over in subsequent time and costs saved”.

CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) has launched a campaign offering organisations with large, publicly accessed buildings free guidance to help cut the cost of the new Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) in return for a commitment to pledge 100 staff hours to energyreducing activities.