With the NHS in England’s annual carbon footprint now 21 million tonnes, and the Department of Health having set an ambitious target of a 10 per cent reduction by 2015, and an 80 per cent reduction by 2050, Hochiki Europe stresses that a new generation of LED emergency lighting products can contribute significantly to reducing hospitals’ and other healthcare facilities’ carbon footprint, while also fulfilling a useful extra role.

Birmingham’s City Hospital’s new maternity unit is an inspiring departure from conventional units. Contemporary design and the latest technology combine to give mothers a safe, yet relaxed, environment in which to give birth. HEJ reports.

A specialist in the field explains the sophisticated features of its latest lone worker protection and critical messaging systems, a number of them reportedly ‘unique’ in the sector.

At a London conference, Department of Health and Trust speakers described the progress to date with the work to embed GS1 standards throughout the NHS.

As part of a continuing series on successful women engineers, HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports on his recent discussion with Benita Mehra, CEng MIET MSC MBA FWES FIHEEM.

HEJ talks to Women’s Engineering Society CEO, Dawn Bonfield, about the challenges of recruiting more female engineers, and how they might be overcome.

edie Live 2016 – formerly known as Sustainability Live – which claims to be the UK’s largest exhibition and conference dedicated to sustainability, returns to the NEC, Birmingham this month.

A report on a conference on ‘water microbiology – current and emerging issues in healthcare’, which considered how well recent legislation and guidance had been working for those ‘at the frontline of infection control’.

To aid infection control in high-risk areas, medical gas systems specialist, BeaconMedaes, embeds Addmaster anti-microbial protection into components including its terminal units, alarms, and valve boxes

With oil-free medical compressors used in many applications where clean air is an absolute requirement – such as the food and pharmaceutical sectors, BeaconMedaes says there is strong case for such technology’s use in hospital medical gas supply, ‘where clean breathing air is so vital’.

Managing any healthcare facility is a juggling act, and where service-users are vulnerable, well-designed fixtures ‘can make a huge difference’ to their safety and dignity.

Eastwood Park’s medical gas portfolio manager challenges ‘the norm’ in medical gas training, and raises a number of thought-provoking questions.

Franke Sissons, which supplies modern washroom systems, has headed ‘a hardhitting parliamentary discussion’ in Westminster to outline ‘the lack of surveillance for genuine CE marking required by UK law’ on products fitted in commercial buildings.

To reduce the risk of bacterial development healthcare facilities must produce and distribute hot water at high temperatures, according to the HSE Approved Code of Practice and Guidance document, HSG274.

Why it pays ‘to go beyond existing control to maximise energy efficiency’ when it comes to optimising the performance of hot water boilers.

Schneider Electric says its ‘smart’ Building Analytics service can evaluate energy system performance to identify elements that directly impact on an organisation’s ongoing energy consumption and equipment operation.

In his second article for HEJ, Professor Matthew Bacon, MD of The Conclude Consultancy, discusses the challenges of space management for NHS Trusts, and how such space might be better utilised.

Under the Presidency of Greg Markham, who took up the role two years ago this month, IHEEM has continued to significantly raise its profile among key opinion formers, strengthening its ties with influential bodies such as the Department of Health, the Sustainable Development Unit, The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, ProCure21+, and the Engineering Council, and with parliamentarians, senior civil servants, its international counterparts, and the architectural and construction supply chains.

Specialist fenestration company, Britplas, will launch its new Safevent Smart – ‘an optional and highly innovative enhancement’ to its multi- award-winning Safevent window. Safevent Smart is ‘an intelligent monitoring device’ for secure environments.

Air quality and comfortable temperatures in healthcare facilities are critical to patient health and wellbeing, while, if efficiently managed, getting temperature control right can improve a hospital’s energy efficiency and running costs. With so many options on the market, however, determining ‘the best fit’ for a particular healthcare facility can be a challenge.