Modern hospitals are engineered with resilience at their core. Estates teams routinely design redundancy into critical infrastructure such as power distribution, water supply, HVAC systems, and medical gases to ensure that essential services remain operational during failures, maintenance work, or major incidents. Yet one area of hospital infrastructure is often overlooked in resilience planning: medical

Poor estate conditions affect patient safety, reduce staff productivity, and limit the efficiency of healthcare services. Studies have revealed the scale of the problem, with investment in physical infrastructure failing to keep pace with rising demand. The system is often characterised as bursting at the seams, but the solution is not just about building new

The NHS is entering a pivotal stage as it plans to transform how healthcare is delivered. Central to that shift is the government’s plan to roll out 250 new Neighbourhood Health Centres, forming part of the emerging neighbourhood health service model designed to bring care closer to home. This initiative is aligned with wider efforts

During another busy Tuesday, an estates leader becomes aware of three decisions, each of which feels important. The first relates to a backlog issue that has been sitting uneasily on the risk register for months. An ageing electrical system serving a clinical area has been flagged again by the estates team. It is not an

NHS estates teams are under increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions while managing limited space across hospital sites. While many sustainability projects focus on buildings, the staff commute is another area where estates teams can make a real impact. Staff parking is often seen as a basic operational task, but for many NHS sites it

For decades, the value of healthcare construction was measured at handover: on time, on budget, and to specification. Yet the real world now tells us something very different. Many of the illnesses filling hospital beds originate years earlier in the places people live, work, and grow up. With the NHS under unprecedented pressure — including

A clinical decision can be made in minutes. A doctor reviews results, confirms treatment, and agrees that a patient is ready to transfer or discharge. In digital terms, the system works — the decision is recorded in the electronic patient record (EPR), orders are placed, documentation is complete. But recording a decision is not the

The World Health Organization (WHO) has made its position unmistakably clear. Multidrug- resistant gram-negative bacteria are no longer an emerging concern but a dominant global health threat, with carbapenem resistance representing one of the most critical failures in contemporary antimicrobial therapy. Organisms once treatable with last line of defence drugs such as meropenem and imipenem

After pre-dinner drinks and a delicious three-course meal — and before an after dinner talk by rugby star Jonathan Davies CBE — delegates settled down to watch the 2026 IHEEM Wales Regional Awards presentation. In total, there were seven awards up for grabs. Apprentice of the Year Award Sponsored by Tilbury Douglas, the winner of

After welcoming delegates to the IHEEM Wales Regional Conference 2026, IHEEM CEO Pete Sellers introduced the event’s theme of Navigating uncertainty — contingency and resilience in healthcare estates. Faced with both the everyday pressures of running of NHS states and facilities and the global pressures that have seen a rise in uncertainty across the board

Operating theatres (OTs) are becoming increasingly intelligent, incorporating technologies such as 3D navigation and imaging, AI, and augmented reality. Understanding how these solutions can be safely and effectively integrated within the healthcare space is vital to the future proofing of healthcare facilities. This increasing complexity was a driver for Starkstrom’s investment in its demonstration and

Against a backdrop of ageing healthcare buildings, mounting backlog maintenance, and increasing pressure on capital budgets, long-term roofing performance is becoming an increasingly important part of estate resilience planning. As Garland UK marks 25 years in the UK market, the company is reflecting on the lessons learned from supporting healthcare estates across the country, including

As the NHS accelerates its journey towards Net Zero, low-carbon heat technologies are no longer theoretical. Heat pumps, geothermal systems, and low-carbon energy centres now feature regularly in board papers, capital plans, and strategic discussions. Yet those involved in delivering these schemes are increasingly clear about one thing: the success or failure of low-carbon heat

Sam Vijatov: Congratulations on winning Architectural Practice of the Year. How would you describe your style and philosophy as an architect practice? Paul Mathews: We started in 1997, so about 28 years ago now. We set out originally to do a mix of healthcare and other stuff, but over the years as we’ve developed and

Fire dampers are critical safety devices, hidden away inside ventilation ducting and key to preventing the spread of fire. Hopefully, they are never required to close in anger, but regular inspection and testing of their readiness to do so is obviously vital — and required by law. However, there are a worrying number of buildings