AIRBORNE INFECTION CONTROL


Air cleaning devices and their ‘real-world’ impact


IHEEM’s second online Branch of the Month event of 2021 – held by the Yorkshire Branch – saw IHEEM’s CEO, Pete Sellars, give a brief update on recent IHEEM activities, before guest speaker, Cath Noakes OBE, CEng, FIMechE, FIHEEM, Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, and Deputy Director of the Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics, School of Civil Engineering, at the University of Leeds, discussed the topic, ‘Air cleaning and disinfection devices in a hospital setting – approaches and pitfalls’.


Before Professor Noakes – who is a member of the SAGE Environmental Modelling Group – gave a very interesting presentation, following up on the one she gave during IHEEM’s Digital Week 2020 last October (HEJ – October 2020), IHEEM Yorkshire Branch Chair, Chris Davies, head of Estates at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said he would like to reflect for a few moments on those who had lost their lives over the past year. He also thanked IHEEM for its assistance in staging the webinar, before handing over to Pete Sellars for a brief update on recent Head Office activities, prior to the main presentation. The latter said: “What has delighted me is that even in a difficult year, we have exceeded the aims and priorities we set out for the Institute, and I would point all attendees to the Annual Report published in December, which details the tremendous work my IHEEM Head Office team has done, as well as the massive support we have had from our members.” Noting that this was the year’s second IHEEM Branch of the Month event, Pete Sellars explained that the webinars were part of the Institute’s work ‘to create an environment to connect with our


Infected person


members to keep them up to date and informed’. He said: “Indeed we have a full programme of digital events planned over the next 12 months, with every Branch set to engage in this type of session, including our colleagues over in Hong Kong.”


Recent IHEEM activity


The IHEEM CEO then briefly discussed some of the Institute’s key recent work, including the launch of a new website, which was garnering considerable positive feedback, and included an ‘integrated’ ‘MyIHEEM CPD’ ‘package’, accredited by the Engineering Council, and ‘very straightforward to use’. He said: “It provides an opportunity for all our members, at all grades, to be able to quickly capture their CPD, with the information sitting with their records as their careers grow.” He also recommended members look at the new ‘Learning Hub’ and ‘Knowledge Hub’; the latter included details of training and best practice offered in conjunction with the author of international standards and guidelines, TAHPI, with whom IHEEM formed a partnership last summer. Pete Sellars said: “Within the section is the IHEEM IFHG (International Healthcare Facility Guidelines) portal, behind which


Environment


Aerosols and small droplets


Infected person


Respiratory activity


Large


droplets and secretions


Airborne –


via aerosols (>2 m) in a shared room


Close range – via aerosols and droplets (<2 m)


Surfaces –


via contaminated hands


Surface contamination


Virus on hand of infected person


Figure 1: SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes.


Virus on hand of


susceptible person


Susceptible person


Inhaled aerosol


Cath Noakes.


Inspired small


droplets Virus in


eyes/nose/ mouth


sits a wealth of knowledge in terms of specifications and designs on what a modern new healthcare facility should look like, plus an eco-system of various software packages to bring this to life.” These features, being developed on an ongoing basis, were, he explained, all part of IHEEM’s offer to members, and alongside them, it was now offering ‘a range of targeted training and development programmes’. Pete Sellars also drew attendees’ attention to the weekly newsletters that IHEEM had been issuing, working closely with NHS England’s Policy Team, around the key messages that needed to be disseminated to ‘to help staff through the difficult period’.


Susceptible person


Messages of support


IHEEM was also engaging weekly with the NHS People team, resulting in the dissemination of messages of personal, professional, bereavement, and other support to members of both IHEEM and HEFMA. Pete Sellars added: I’m delighted that, through this working partnership, these messages are getting right out to our members. Normally, they tend to be targeted first and foremost at clinicians.” Finally, he said he wished to ‘signpost’ a number of forthcoming IHEEM events,


April 2021 Health Estate Journal 25


©SAFE EMG


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68