RECENT NEWS

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has appointed Jackie Ducker as its Chief Customer Officer.

Joining the NHSPS Executive Board this month from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) – where she was Executive director for Customer and Product – she brings significant executive-level expertise in building key customer relationships, and business growth and improvement, as well as extensive leadership in customer experience.

Over the last decade, mental health construction has seen a remarkable transformation, with innovative new approaches making facilities safer, more comfortable, and tailored to individual needs. From anti-ligature measures to personalised bedrooms, the focus has shifted towards providing patient-centred care in a calming, supportive environment.

New and expectant mothers from North Wales needing specialist hospital care for severe mental health problems will be able to access treatment closer to home, when a new mother and baby unit opens its doors next year.

Health law firm, Hill Dickinson, has announced the appointment of real estate Partner James Atkins, who joins the firm’s Leeds office as its National head of Health Real Estate.

A collective failure to retrofit commercial buildings to meet Net Zero targets threatens to ignite a new energy crisis, says the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Sited in a protected wooded glade, Kimmeridge Court at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole has – say its architects, Medical Architecture – been carefully crafted to preserve the quality of its natural setting and ‘create a uniquely private and therapeutic environment for the treatment of patients with eating disorders’.

In any accessible bathroom, space is key, and with its new height and sideways adjustable MATRIX washbasin, Pressalit says that ‘creating space quickly and hygienically has just got easier’.

RFiD Discovery, a provider of identification and location tracking solutions, has partnered with BuzzStreets, an award-winning indoor navigation platform provider, to offer a combined wayfinding and asset tracking solution for healthcare providers.

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’.

Leading lighting company, Glamox, is embarking on a tour of European cities to raise awareness with lighting designers, consultants, and architects, of the benefits of human-centric lighting (HCL) inside professional buildings.

A new ‘state-of-the-art’, modular outpatient facility has been completed at King’s College Hospital in London, and has opened to the public.

Centre for Mental Health has announced the appointment of Andy Bell – who it says has ‘played a fundamental role in driving change in mental health’ during his 20 years with the Centre – as its new Chief Executive.

Seeking a high-performance staff attack alert system that would prevent violence toward staff members, while not causing undue noise and disruption on the ward, staff at Smallwood Manor, a tier 4 hospital in North Staffordshire offering specialist inpatient support to young people experiencing mental health disorders, have specified Pinpoint’s award-winning staff safety system.

Engineering culture in the UK needs to accelerate its drive to become more inclusive if the UK is to continue to be a key player in the global race for engineering skills, says a new report from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE).

A new Resource Centre has been opened at Fulbourn Hospital in Cambridge to provide the local community with ‘a modern and sustainable healthcare hub tailored to the needs of patients and staff members’.

A ‘striking lack of climate preparation from Government’, and ‘fully credible’ planning for climate change apparent in just five of the 45 adaptation outcomes examined in the publication, are highlighted by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) as its publishes its latest report on England’s adaptation progress today (Wednesday 29 March).

Waterproofing and surfacing specialist, Triflex has put together a guide, Solutions for failing asphalt, for multi-storey car parks.

A new, 73-bed specialist inpatient service unit (SISU) for mental health treatment at Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, designed by Arcadis IBI, has received planning approval.

Procurement organisation, Fusion21, has announced the suppliers successfully appointed to its national Painting, Decorating, and Associated Repairs Framework worth up to £125 million over a four-year period.

A ‘major’ new six-year study will use philosophical expertise to help bring patient voices into healthcare research and practice.