IHEEM will again be participating in the Big Bang: UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair this year, with the 2011 event taking place at the ICC London ExCel from 10-12 March.

Since it was launched at the IHEEM exhibition last year, the Dyteqta-System - the world’s first dedicated non-invasive, non-destructive, fully automatic drainage monitoring system - has been generating considerable interest from across the healthcare sector. This has included infection control specialists, facility and building services managers, construction firms and drainage materials suppliers.

Haigh Engineering is an established name in the provision of bedpan disposal technology for the healthcare sector, and is proud of its reputation for continuous improvement, innovation and quality. Haigh invest heavily in R&D in order to continually meet the changing needs of their customer base, resulting in ongoing product innovations and enhancements.

IHEEM’s 15 June Council meeting, attended by 15 members, and presided over by President Paul Kingsmore, saw a major focus on the Council’s Modernisation Plan for the Institute.

Safetherm, the new thermostatic mixer tap for healthcare from Rada – the “worldwide experts” in commercial showering, washroom controls, fittings and systems – is said to set “new standards in safety, ease of use, and serviceability”.

Pall Medical says the Department of Health has recently issued notification that it has become aware of outbreaks of infection with pseudomonads in augmented care wards such as those use for high dependency, critical care, renal, and burns treatment.

On the cover of the October 2007 edition of Health Estate Journal, UK manufacturer Mailbox Mouldings led on the strength of its materials management systems, the longevity of its product range, and its ability to deliver long-term savings, ensuring best practice and value for money.

Medicinq Osborne and off-site construction specialist Yorkon last month handed over the UK’s largest acute admissions unit, or AAU, to the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The milestone came only a year or so after the construction consortium signed the contract for a facility that it is hoped will radically improve the way patients in the area receive emergency care. Jonathan Baillie reports.

Mike Moran, business development manager, Industrial Construction, at Bostik, explains how a range of new sealants can increase protection in hospital bathrooms, shower rooms and kitchen facilities against healthcare-acquired infections.

An important step in the proposed redevelopment of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital has taken place with the demolition of Linden House, the tower block in the site’s centre, by demolition experts from J Freeley.

Delegates at Building Better Healthcare’s recent “National Patient Environment and the Arts Conference 2009” in London heard how national public arts think tank ixia has appointed Bristol-based arts and wellbeing development agency Willis Newson to write “concise and convincing guidance” on commissioning art for new healthcare facilities.

Dorset County Hospital installed a number of Dart Valley Systems [DVS] no-touch taps and WC flushvalves over a couple of years, and the positive experience lead to the hospital making a decision to remove all lever operated clinical hand wash taps and toilet handles and replace with no-touch operation.

As vistors to our stand will know, Topscan’s services provide Directors of Estates and Facilities with instant access to accurate, up-to-date support information, which can be in the form of CAD building footprints or a building services documentation digital database.

MTX Contracts, a specialist contractor in the design and construction of modular buildings for the healthcare sector, has recently completed, together with ProCure21 principal supply chain partner Laing O’Rourke, the installation of a new four-storey orthopaedic and surgical facility for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (see also pp 44-47).

London’s Royal College of Music (RCM) in South Kensington was the venue for this year’s summer visit by members of the IHEEM London Branch/ Surrey Discussion Centre.

Mark Bosley, systems specialist at designer, developer and manufacturer of water purification systems for the healthcare and research sectors Purite, examines the growing regulatory framework governing the purity and quality of water supplied to decontamination centres, and discusses some of the latest technologies used to ensure the required standards are met.

BOC Healthcare has installed a pipeline system to deliver Heliox gas to patients’ bedsides at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey – the UK’s first system of this type.

This April’s introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) should, argues Dave Covell, a principal at international environmental consultancy Environ, lead to major improvements in energy efficiency in the healthcare arena, potentially enabling Trusts to significantly reduce future energy bills.

English Health Technical Memoranda and Health Building Notes will from now on be accessible in comprehensive online form following the decision by the national estates directorates in all four UK countries to migrate these key sources of technical information and guidance to a new website over the next six months.