SPONSORED BY HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
APPG calls for evidence on NHS infrastructure needs
A cross-party group of MPs and peers is seeking views on how the NHS estate and infrastructure can best meet patient needs. The All-Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthcare Infrastructure on 3 May launched a call for evidence to help inform its first report on ‘Meeting the Short, Medium and Long-Term Needs for NHS Infrastructure’. The report is intended to coincide with the anticipated publication of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) Capital Strategy, which will set out the long-term vision for all aspects of the Department’s infrastructure spending over the next decade. As part of this, the APPG will hold
two meetings where it will hear oral testimonial from key figures involved in NHS estates and health infrastructure, including former Secretaries of State for Health. The APPG’s inquiry will examine the following areas of health infrastructure: n NHS estates and facilities. n Equipment used by the NHS. n Physical elements required to enable digital care. The APPG said: “Our recommendations
to the Government and NHS leaders will be published in our report in the summer, which will be launched in Parliament by the Minister for Health, Edward Argar MP, on 12 July.” Commenting on the launch of the call for evidence, Chris Green MP, Chair of the APPG for Healthcare
Infrastructure (pictured), said: “In recent years, attention has been focused at a national level on the government’s headline hospital building programme. While investment in acute infrastructure is imperative, we have been waiting for a year for the refresh of the Health Infrastructure Plan. The APPG is launching our call for evidence on meeting short, medium, and long-term NHS
infrastructure needs shortly to help inform the Department’s long-term plans for capital investment, and to ensure that we are meeting the needs of patients in the post-pandemic world. “DHSC’s capital strategy will be the
bedrock for the return to normality as we move on from COVID. We want to hear from patients, stakeholders, clinicians, and all interested parties, on how we build health infrastructure fit for the future.’ The deadline for submissions for the
report is 5pm on 17 June 2022. The evidence gathered will be used to inform the recommendations the APPG makes to Government. The first of the APPG’s two oral
evidence sessions with key stakeholders was held on 16 May at the House of Commons, while the second will take place on 14 June from 2-3.00 pm on Zoom. For further details about submissions, see the full call for evidence on the APPG’s website at https://connectpa.
co.uk/appg-healthcare-infrastructure/
Medical shower filter’s proven efficacy
A new 31-Day Medical Shower Filter from Danish water filtration manufacturer, T-safe, has a compact, ergonomic, and lightweight design. The latest addition to the company’s Medical Water Filter range incorporates the same T-safe technology ‘trusted to deliver safe water in over 350 hospitals in the UK and Ireland’. The ‘all-new’ 31-Day Medical Shower Filter is a disposable high-performance filter for shorter-term use in high-risk healthcare environments. T-safe MD, Stephen McCreanor,
said: “As the pioneer of the first validated 92-day point-of-use filter
16 Health Estate Journal June 2022
solution for healthcare, we recognise that in some instances, a shorter lifecycle filter may be preferred. This may depend on the microorganism of concern, the extent of the contamination, and the patient risk profile, and thus a site-specific risk assessment should always be used to determine the most appropriate filter lifecycle to be deployed to ensure optimised patient safety, value for money, and optimal resource use.” As sterilising grade membrane
filters, T-safe Medical Water Filters reportedly provide ‘total retention of
waterborne bacteria, offering the highest
level of protection for immunocompromised
patients at risk of nosocomial waterborne pathogen infection’. The microbial
retention efficacy of the new 31-Day Medical Shower Filter has been proven via independent testing in accordance with ASTM F838, and through ‘exhaustive lifecycle studies involving controlled microbiological challenge testing’.
‘New chapter’ for former NHS Estates officer
Steve Sluter, a former NHS Estates officer with over 26 years’ experience of working for the service, has joined the expanding SHJ Medical Gas Specialists team as Service manager. The holder of an HNC in Building Studies, and an HND in Property and Surveying, he first joined the NHS in 1995 as an Apprentice at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, subsequently holding roles including Craftsperson, trainee Building Surveyor, Estates officer, and Project manager there until 2011, when he joined the
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust as Building manager. After serving as Mechanical Estates officer at the Trust from 2013-2015, he was appointed Estates officer, holding the role – where his remit included day-today management of the piped medical gas system, arranging and managing MGPS isolations of critical areas to enable upgrades and service improvements, and upgrading VIE evaporators – until he joined SHJ Medical Gas Specialists this year. An active AP (MGPS) for 13 years, he said: “I have always had a good relationship with SHJ, and when the opportunity arose to join the team, I jumped at it. This role provides a new chapter in my career, working alongside an established and very capable team. Having been an SHJ client, I really understand what Estates managers need, and will ensure that our customers receive the best, most efficient service and support possible.”
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