Dr David Moon, construction programme manager for procurement at the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), comments on how NHS Trusts can achieve sustainability targets through procurement and the steps already being taken to improve resource efficiency in health construction projects.

Hospital security must always focus on the need to protect essential healthcare facilities and provide a safe environment for staff and visitors. This can seem like a tall order for organisations struggling to maintain essential public services with finite resources and it is understandable that decisions about security spending can present difficult choices, reports Alex Carmichael, British Security Industry Association technical and membership services director.

Large-scale hospital refurbishments and redecoration programmes are not uncommon in the NHS today. One hospital is pioneering a completely new approach to its refurbishment which could save the UK taxpayer millions of pounds if replicated across other NHS Trusts.

Benefits of single patient accommodation have been identified and apply in many care settings. Report by Patricia Young of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and Roxanna Yarandipour of Arup.

This year’s Healthcare Estates Exhibition & Conference is set to be the biggest yet, with more exhibiting companies, more delegates, and a growth in visitors expected.

High quality architecture and extensive stakeholder consultations have transformed the delivery of Laboratory Medicine within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NHSFT), explains Tim Robinson, senior architect at Race Cottam Associates, the architects on a scheme that has seen laboratory services from across the city consolidated within one modern, spacious, well-lit, and well-equipped building that should provide an extremely positive, ‘future-proofed’ working environment for staff.

James McGowan, R&D product designer for Monodraught, a specialist in ‘natural ventilation, natural daylight, and natural cooling systems’, discusses the development of Cool-phase, the company’s latest innovative application of phase change material (PCM) as a thermal energy store used to actively ventilate and cool buildings.

Well over 400 guests attended the annual IHEEM Awards Dinner at the Manchester Midland Hotel, a stone’s throw from Manchester Central, on the evening of the first day of Healthcare Estates 2013.

Lorie Shekter-Wolfson, assistant vice-president, Waterfront, and Dean of Community Services and Health Sciences, at George Brown College in Toronto, describes the construction of a new waterfront campus for the College, where the aim is to provide a learning facility “flexible enough to evolve and shape future healthcare delivery models and assist collaborative learning”.

Atlas Pendants offer ‘complete solutions’, designed for each application by Brandon Medical

Bender UK will spotlight what it describes as ‘the unique advantages’ of its ATICS automatic changeover device – which has been independently accredited to SIL Level 2 – as well as its capabilities as a leading provider of isolated power supplies, theatre control panels, UPS systems, Steris surgical lighting products, and as a turnkey partner for complete operating theatre installations, at Healthcare Estates 2014.

The operator of the world’s largest fleet of mobile operating theatres is targeting expansion in Europe in the wake of the ECB’s plan to inject €1.1 trillion into the Eurozone.

The following examples illustrate how continuous dosing with SHP can be used successfully to resolve Legionella problems in healthcare and other facilities.These particular cases all utilised EndoSan.

Keraflo, manufacturer of ‘Aylesbury’ float valves and tank management systems, has launched an enhanced user-friendly version of its digital water tank control system Tanktronic, which boasts an array of new functionality.

Austco will use Healthcare Estates 2014 as a platform to show four nurse call add-ons that they claim will leverage greater infrastructure value.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH) consists of five main sites and runs a wide range of services mainly from Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals. Recently, they chose Apollo-FM as their new Computer Aided Facilities Management system and already claim to be seeing the benefits of their choice, including saving money and having access to information in real-time.

Traditionally, the patient experience within the NHS has been a secondary consideration to the requirements for effective and safe treatment. However, since the coalition Government made a commitment to improving patient experience and putting patients at the heart of everything the NHS does, the patient experience has moved up the agenda of many healthcare leaders and is no longer considered to be a luxury.

In the hospital environment, technology is becoming an ever more central element in the drive to improve care standards, in line with guidance from Government and independent institutions, such as at the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE).

Healthcare Facilities Consortium (HFC) has formed a partnership with Grovenbridge Academy to provide training and short courses in a range of estates and facilities management topics – all at preferential rates for HFC members, who enjoy 50% off.

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities unprepared for the power cuts predicted by energy observers in the light of what they say are insufficient UK power reserves, and particularly electrical energy capacity, could face ‘catastrophic’ consequences, warns Bill Wright, head of Energy Solutions at the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA).