lllness among clinical waste collection operatives not yet vaccinated could see the collection and disposal of waste arising from the UK-wide COVID-19 vaccination programme face significant challenges, potentially slowing the vaccine roll-out.

Kristen Guida, Manager at the London Climate Change Partnership, explores some of the benefits to healthcare facilities of Sustainable Drainage Systems, particularly in better rainwater and surface water management

The NHS Nightingale Hospital in Exeter was the last of the eight Nightingale UK hospitals to be built. Writing exclusively for HEJ, project manager Andy Witnall, from contractor BAM, explains why it is different to others.

Mypower has designed and installed a 306-panel solar photovoltaic (PV) system for the roof of St. Catherine’s Health Centre in the Wirral, expected to afford operator, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a saving and income of £8,400 in the first year.

David Cross, head of the Technical Training Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, and Paul Casson, Technical field manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, look at some of the pest control challenges facing healthcare estates teams, and how to meet them.

Maintaining hygiene in hospitals has never been a higher priority, due to COVID-19. Fortunately, there are a number of technologies that are helping medical staff fight back against infectious agents and help safeguard against future global pandemics, explains John Chewins, director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at Bioquell.

Jo Harris, Commercial Finance UK Sales director, Siemens Financial Services in the UK, discusses some of the benefits to both to occupiers and users of increasingly ‘smart’ healthcare buildings, and the role of ‘smart financing’ in their construction and operation.

Paul Haycock, a Business Development manager with SUEZ Water Purification Technologies, discusses the latest water purification technologies for healthcare facilities.

Greg Markham, Estates & Assets director at Serco Health, advocates a more structured approach to healthcare asset management across the NHS, and reports on IHEEM’s plans to provide more associated tools and training

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has unveiled a new online portal to make it quicker and easier to access its portfolio of framework agreements when contracting authorities want to buy goods or services.

In what they dub ‘a ground-breaking development’, scientists at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) in Riyadh have identified a new species of bacterium, referred to as Stenotrophomonas Riyadhensis, through the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technology.

The presentation of seven awards, a drinks reception, and a sumptuous dinner, were the highlights of a gala awards evening in Cardiff last month during IHEEM’s 2023 Wales Regional Conference.

COBOD, a global manufacturer of 3D construction printers, says its new ‘Virtual Reality (VR) solution ‘for 3D construction printing allows potential customers to experience live 3D construction printing in real time, ‘right in front of their eyes in virtual reality’.

Jonathan Clapp, International senior technical manager at Microban International, looks at how antimicrobial technologies can be built into the various materials typically found in patient areas – including disposable privacy curtains, uniforms, and high-touch control panels – at the time of manufacture, complementing traditional cleaning in the fight against microbial growth and proliferation.

Companies from Yorkshire-based Sewell Group have been appointed to three new Pagabo frameworks for consultancy and construction that enable clients across the public sector to access Sewell Group’s decarbonisation or estates consultancy to help improve their estate.

Jordan Bartlett, a Facility & Seismic Resilience consultant at Proactive Design in Australia, considers how those responsible for keeping plant and equipment safe and secure in healthcare facilities need – where their region is at risk of such occurrences – to prepare a Business Continuity Plan to cater for natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, with a particular focus on experience in Australia and New Zealand.

T-safe is inviting visitors to Healthcare Estates 2024 in Manchester in October to visit its stand, G34, to learn about its ‘new innovative water safety security anti-tamper solutions’, which are designed to prevent the unauthorised removal of point-of-use (POU) filters.

Alex Warren, an associate director at The Manser Practice, an award-winning architectural firm specialising in healthcare design, discusses the positive impact that good interior design, signage, and wayfinding, can make in a range of healthcare facilities, for patients, staff, and visitors alike.

Jan Kroman, a Principal at Canada’s Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman Architects, based in Edmonton, Alberta, discusses a project to create a new Emergency Department at the city’s Misericordia Community Hospital.

Ceiling systems play a key role in creating appropriate room acoustics, and as noise levels in healthcare settings and the quality of the interior environment are known to considerably impact recovery and patient wellbeing, making the right choice should be a key consideration for specifiers such as healthcare estates teams, says Simon Humphrey, Technical manager at acoustic ceiling manufacturer, OWA.