David Llewellyn, CEO of the Vending & Automated Retail Association, discusses the features and benefits of the latest food and drink vending machines in healthcare facilities.

Dr. Iyad Al-Attar, a mechanical engineer and independent air filtration consultant, and a Visiting Academic Fellow at the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, explores the evolution of indoor air quality (IAQ) governance, tracing advancements in building technology – ‘from basic mechanical systems to sophisticated smart building technologies’. Highlighting ‘the historical neglect of IAQ as a public health concern’, he contrasts it with the increased focus spurred by recent pandemics, and explains how air quality governance ‘leads the way to the promise of better IAQ – from theory into practice’.

WB Power Services Business consultant, Geoff Halliday, considers the issue of transferring complex loads onto a standby diesel generator. Today, standby generating sets are seeing an increase in the scope and variation of loads being connected to such plant.

Elise Maynard, independent adviser for water safety, and Chair of the Armitage Shanks Water Safety Forum, emphasises the need for multidisciplinary competence when it comes to safely managing and maintaining healthcare premises’ water systems.

Martin Bissell, Emily Scoones, and James Thomson of Buildings (Digital) at global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company, Ramboll, argue that to stand a realistic chance of meeting its tough Net Zero targets within the timelines currently specified, the healthcare sector must adopt a multi-faceted approach. By embracing digital building tools and data, they say the sector has the chance to take meaningful steps to decarbonise existing building stock and achieve Net Zero targets, while simultaneously reducing its energy spend.

At the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a new medical gas plant developed by SHJ Medical Gas Specialists has ‘addressed areas of energy inefficiency, vastly increased the system’s productivity, resilience, and reliability’, and aided carbon emission reduction.

An Electrical Design engineer at Mott MacDonald discusses his research as part of a Master’s degree to understand the challenges the NHS faces to improve its electrical resilience, focusing particularly on microgrids and battery energy storage.

Schneider Electric’s David Williams argues that achieving Net Zero is ‘a whole company / organisation initiative’, and warns against procrastination, saying ‘the time to act is now’.

The global commitment to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions has led numerous industries to seek sustainable solutions. For the healthcare sector, says Haigh Customer Service lead, Wendy Andrews, a simple yet significant contribution to this goal lies in an often overlooked corner – the sluice room, and the opportunities for enhanced efficiencies there.

Michael Anderton, General manager, UK & I, of HVAC Building Solutions at Johnson Controls, says that against the backdrop of the NHS drive toward a Net Zero health service, heat pumps could have a key role as a primary source of generation in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, replacing fossil fuel boilers in the generation of heat.

Giving a keynote on the first morning of the IHEEM Wales Regional Conference, Stuart Douglas, Director, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Specialist Estates Services, set out some of the priorities and challenges for those working in healthcare engineering and estate management roles across the Welsh NHS.

Dr James Soothill MBBS, MD, FRCPath, a Consultant Microbiologist at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, discusses his invention and development of what he dubs ‘a cost-effective, robust, low-maintenance approach to prevent the ascent of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from drains into hospital sinks’ – the ‘so-called’ Tuba Drain.

In early 2019 a full governance review across all of IHEEM’s core business activities was undertaken by Head Office.

Alex Solk, a Partner at, Sheppard Robson, argues that that the best way of harnessing the benefits that Modern Methods of Construction offer is ‘to be dextrous enough to use multiple solutions’ ‘rather than being wedded to one approach’.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many NHS hospitals found themselves struggling for oxygen capacity.

Healthcare providers are using digital signage and IPTV systems to manage ongoing COVID challenges, and subsequently recognising how AV systems can improve the patient experience, says Colin Farquhar, senior vice-president, Sales, at VITEC, a specialist in end-to-end video streaming.

HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, talks to Steve Parker, Operations manager at Marlux Medical, about the growth in demand for disposable privacy curtains during the pandemic, current best practice in curtain changing, and the latest technology developments that are helping to make disposable privacy curtains a more sustainable option for NHS Trusts.

Tina Seymour, CEO at charity, Hope for Tomorrow, looks at how mobile cancer care units are supporting NHS Trusts, and ‘revolutionising how life-saving treatment is delivered to communities thanks to digital innovation’.

Dr Céline Glipa, CEO of dynamic glass specialist, Eyrise, discusses how recent developments in glass technology ‘offer intelligent opportunities to re-shape the design of healthcare buildings’.

It is often overlooked that water conservation, in all its forms, can reduce expenditure within the healthcare environment, and cut carbon emissions via the mechanisms used throughout the water supply process. Adrian Hibbert, a Commercial and Specification manager at leading UK toilet solutions and water management manufacturer, Fluidmaster UK, discusses some of the options for water saving through specification of more efficient flushing and filling toilet solutions.