This year, a series of successful seminars have been held by IHEEM on a range of subjects including medical gases and the control of legionella, and the Institute hopes to replicate this success in 2006.

Fabric pioneer Panaz has been selected by the Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospital to help in its campaign against hospital-acquired infections. The company is supplying 20,000 metres of antibacterial Shield fabric for new cubicle and window curtains within the hospital. Included under the £215,000 contract is a commission to customise an existing Panaz design to incorporate the "RBCH" initials, thereby emphasising the hospital's unique identity.

Speech recognition specialist Telephonetics has been included on the national framework agreement as a speech technology supplier to the NHS, by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA).

At the forefront of developing professional laundry equipment for care and nursing homes, Miele Professional in partnership with NewGenn Research has just released details of the NewGenn System Sanitise.

Most temperature measurements are not so much concerned with absolute accuracy as repeatability, since focused on is whether the temperature is stable, moving up or moving down and by what rate of change. This is not the case, however, with temperature measurement within sterilisers, stresses Ted Baker, managing director, Isopharm Sentry.

Recent and ongoing research by Professor Bill Keevil and Dr Jonathan Noyce at the University of Southampton has shown that copper inactivates disease-causing germs on its surface in as little as 90 minutes. Studies have clearly demonstrated such an antimicrobial effect on a range of microbes including MRSA, E. coli 0157, Listeria monocytogenes and other hospital-acquired infections.

Leicestershire-based Hill-Rom has agreed a contract with University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust to fully equip its hospitals with new AvantGuard hospital beds, specialist mattresses and furniture, over a phased five year period with a comprehensive contract for services over the next 15 years.

Peter Gumm, marketing and communications manager, Electrosonic, provides an overview of advanced audio-visual (AV) technology utilisation in the healthcare environment.

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.

Challenges involved in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) continue to be significant, and it is highly important that the healthcare environment and medical devices are designed and maintained to minimise infection risks. Health Estate Journal reports on statistics and comments from the Health Protection Agency, and looks at the Department of Health’s draft code of practice for the prevention and control of HCAIs.

The 12 operating theatre suites at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford are now running at over 90% of available capacity, thanks to the accuracy of the data on its Oasis Patient Administration System (PAS).

Excellence in infection control stems from the culmination of effective hygiene measures implemented throughout the patient journey.

Architectural practice, DKS Architects, which has moved into new purpose-built accommodation at Stokesley Business Park, has secured its third major scheme outside the region with healthcare developer Montpelier Estates.

New waste management legislation comes into force later this year which will change the way all organisations deal with waste generated on their premises. The issue of employee recycling participation and the right choice of waste and recycling systems should be high on the agenda for the healthcare sector according to Dr David Gillett, sales and marketing director at Taylor, the UK based waste containment provider.

Information has been provided by the Department of Health Estates and Facilities Division relating to changes to the surgical instrument decontamination guidance revision programme arising from the NICE recommendations and ESAC-Pr stakeholder consultation.

Yorkshire-based healthcare products manufacturer James Spencer & Co has designed a new bedside chair that it claims could help save purchasers cash in the long run.

New test technology incorporated in Rigel Medical’s 288 electromedical safety analyser maximises versatility and portability considerations for EBME personnel involved in medical equipment safety testing, the manufacturer claims.

Taylor, the waste containment solutions for the health facilities management sector company, has developed a new approach to the segregation and recycling of waste to enable heath providers to comply with the new producer pre-treatment requirement of the Landfill Directive, which comes into force from the end of October this year, as well as to maximise the efficiencies of their waste management processes.

The largest primary healthcare centre in Britain, the £30 million Aldershot Centre for Health, has been topped out with a final trowel-full of concrete by Professor Jonathan Montgomery, chair of Hampshire Primary Care Trust.

Cabling specialist Connectix examines the growing potential for healthcare sector use of VoIP technology and highlights the importance of correct cabling infrastructure as a carrier of both voice and high-speed data traffic.