RECENT NEWS

EU Member States should invest more in innovative medical technology and diagnostics, as this will increase efficiency in healthcare and reduce the burden on society of disease and disability. Improving health should become an economic priority. These were the key messages delivered recently by Eucomed, the European medical technology industry association, and EDMA, the European in vitro diagnostics association, at their joint housewarming reception.

MTX Contracts has recently completed the installation of a new modular orthopaedic operating theatre suite for Leicester General Hospital. The new suite is a standalone facility covering an area of 376 m2, which was completed and operational within a period of just 16 weeks.

Developer Oakapple Primary Care has been granted planning permission to build the long awaited Kew health centre in Southport. A site for the new £1.5 million health centre, which will also incorporate a new dental surgery and other health services, has already been earmarked on Town Lane, close to Southport District Hospital.

Supplier of pre-owned modular buildings, Foremans Relocatable Building Systems has launched a standardised design for a cardiac angiography laboratory in response to the Government’s commitment to improving and expanding facilities for the treatment of heart disease.

Software developer for the public sector Asckey Data Services has won a five year contract from the Healthcare Facilities Consortium (HFC) to act as partner for the proven Eclipse-fm facilities management and helpdesk system, widely used in NHS Trust hospitals.

Draeger Medical UK has announced the first UK installation of its Infinity OneNet shared network and Infinity MegaCare ECH management solution at Southend Hospital in Essex.

One of Socomec Sicon’s 160 kVA Delphys Elite UPS systems has been installed in a state-of-the-art catheter laboratory at Cheltenham General Hospital to ensure total power continuity to its new Innova 2100 equipment.

A health centre in Belfast has been transformed following the completion of the final phase of a major construction and refurbishment programme. The Arches Centre features innovative use of Technal’s architectural aluminium systems including around 100 windows in large spans, different colour combinations and frame sizes.

Calyx, an NHScat IT approved supplier of voice and data solutions has implemented wireless technology in over 60 Gwent Healthcare hospital wards, where PC carts now enable the NHS Trust to deliver patient information at point of care.

New NHS health surgeries will become a more common sight in towns and cities across England under ambitious plans to open 125 more health centres by the end of this year.

Republished in this edition of Health Estate Journal is an article for which Paul Robbins, electro-medical services manager, technical support services, Papworth Hospital NHS Trust, has been awarded the Northcroft Silver Medal. The article is titled “Managing risk in device engineering” and was first published in the June 2005 edition of HEJ.

Efficient use of energy, care for the environment and working in a sustainable way are becoming increasingly important, and IHEEM is staging a series of seminars looking at these areas. Particular focus will be on sustainability issues.

The IHEEM London Branch recently held a well-attended meeting at which members were updated on the latest approved methods to control waterborne organisms within hospitals and other care facilities.

IHEEM has joined IFHE-Europe, the sub-group of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering.

The UK continues to be in the midst of the greatest ever investment and construction programme in new healthcare buildings, and this year’s Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition (Harrogate International Centre, 6-7 November) will provide fresh updates on many aspects of delivering excellence in environments for patient care.

As a professional institute, IHEEM is the relevant learned society for all those working in the health estate sector who wish to keep up to date with developing technology and changing regulations. Membership is applicable to architects, builders, engineers, estate managers, surveyors and other professionals engaged in the technical aspects of healthcare provision.

Modus, the new modular bedhead services system launched by Static Systems has already notched up significant sales success. Several contracts for the product were placed within weeks of the launch at last year’s Healthcare Estates Exhibition in Harrogate

Designed to withstand physical attacks, a new glazed security screen has been installed by Strataform at one of the country’s main hospital research laboratories in the South East of England.

According to 3M, in addition to providing public access that looks consistently smart and welcoming, entrance matting should be effective in removing and trapping dirt and moisture, be of adequate length to maximise the number of footfalls, and be easy to clean. Specifiers should also ensure that, now that Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is in force, entrance matting complies with Government legislation.

MED'S will be introducing scroll medical air systems to the UK this summer. Accounting for almost two out of every three new medical air system installations in the United States, scroll compressors have been used to supply medical air to healthcare facilities for almost a decade.