sponsored by HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
Report advocates ‘urgent re-think’ on hospital design, construction, and maintenance to cut HAIs
The ‘urgent need to re-think how hospitals are designed, built, and maintained, to prevent the ongoing crisis of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs)’, is highlighted in a new report, The Silent Pandemic: Antimicrobial Resistance and the Need for Better Hospital Design, recently released by the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS).
Supported by built environment consultancy, Sidara, the report highlights that healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) cause an estimated 200 deaths globally every hour. Officially launched at the Healthcare Infection Society’s Annual Conference (HISCON), its unveiling follows a workshop in March 2025. Bringing together insights from infection prevention and control experts, architects, engineers, and healthcare construction professionals, the report explores ‘the systemic failures that allow infection risks to persist in healthcare settings’, and ‘outlines practical, collaborative solutions to embed IPC at the heart of hospital infrastructure’.
The final report can be downloaded on the HIS website:
https://www.his.org.uk/ A more comprehensive white paper will follow this autumn, and is scheduled to launch at IHEEM’s 2025 Healthcare Estates Conference in October. To join the Built Environment Infection Prevention Initiative dedicated mailing list – which will include future updates, and news of publications and events, sign up via the HIS website. HIS is a membership, not-for-profit
Key recommendations include:
n Involving IPC professionals from the earliest stages of design and planning.
n Introducing mandatory IPC training across disciplines.
n Standardising best-practice design frameworks for infection prevention.
n Leveraging innovation, including AI and IoT, to improve monitoring and reduce human error.
n Balancing clinical needs with sustainability goals without compromising safety.
As a direct outcome of this work, HIS
Wernick launches Modular Hire division
Wernick Hire, a well- established name in portable and modular accommodation solutions, has launched a dedicated Modular Hire division, in a move that it says strengthens its position as a leading provider of temporary modular buildings across the UK. The company says that while
Wernick Hire has long supplied modular buildings as part of its core offering, the launch of Modular Hire ‘marks a significant step forward’ – reflecting its ‘commitment to invest in this growing area of the market, providing customers with a service
that is more focused, resource- backed, and tailored to meet complex building needs’. It said: “Drawing on decades
of experience in hiring portable and modular buildings, Wernick Modular Hire offers fully building regulation-compliant solutions designed for a wide range of sectors – including education, healthcare, office space, and welfare facilities. Each project benefits from Wernick’s nationwide depot network, ensuring reliable delivery and responsive service, no matter the location.” Rakesh Sandu, head of Modular Sales, said: “We understand the importance of quick mobilisation without compromising on the standards expected of permanent buildings. This division allows us to offer a premium, compliant product with the flexibility of hire.”
has announced the formation of the Built Environment Infection Prevention Initiative (BEIPI) – ‘a cross-sector taskforce dedicated to embedding infection prevention principles into the design, construction, and operation, of healthcare settings’. “The creation of BEIPI is a vital next step,” said HIS Chair, Dr Manjula Meda (pictured). “We need to move from conversation to coordinated action – making infection prevention a fundamental requirement of every healthcare build and renovation project.”
organisation which aims to support educational initiatives which improve IPC practice, and reduce the levels of preventable HCAIs. It works with professionals including doctors, nurses, laboratory specialists, estates and facilities management personnel, architects, and building contractors, with the aim of preventing transmission of infection within healthcare environments. Sidara is a global collaborative of specialist design, engineering, and consulting firms which specialises ‘in tackling the world’s biggest, most ambitious, and most critical challenges in all aspects of the built environment’.
Chelsea and Westminster Trust adopts CAFM Explorer
London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has selected Idox’s CAFM Explorer solution to support the effective management of its property and asset data. Following a competitive tender
process, the Trust procured the solution via the G-Cloud framework. The Trust says it will use CAFM
Explorer ‘to streamline core facilities management functions’. This includes delivering effective planned preventative maintenance, maintaining a comprehensive asset register, optimising space management, and leveraging CAFM Analytics for enhanced reporting. Idox said: “By consolidating estate data into a single, centralised system, CAFM Explorer will provide greater
visibility, support compliance, and enable more informed decision- making.”
James McCabe, Principal
Project manager at CWH NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re really pleased to be implementing a new CAFM system in collaboration with Idox. We see CAFM Explorer as an exciting step forward for the Trust to take control of its own data. It will help us intelligently manage our assets, ensure regulatory compliance, and allow us to optimise the delivery of our services.”
August 2025 Health Estate Journal 17
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