sponsored by HEALTH SECTOR NEWS


‘Retrofit failure’ could spark new energy crisis, warns BESA


A ‘collective failure’ to retrofit commercial buildings to meet Net Zero targets threatens to ignite a new energy crisis, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has warned. Reacting to a new report from


property and construction consultant, Ridge and Partners, The Role of Retrofitting our Non-Domestic Buildings in the Race to Net Zero, BESA said both public and private sector organisations were ‘burying their heads in the sand’, and failing to meet their energy efficiency and carbon reduction responsibilities. The Ridge report found just one in four public or private sector organisations had invested in making their buildings more sustainable, while only one in 10 had a retrofitting budget. Most had ambitious Net Zero plans, but few included their buildings’ energy performance. Researchers spoke to 101 property and facilities bosses, concluding that


the problem was ‘at board level’. Retrofitting to improve energy efficiency was seen as a low priority for 86% of building managers, while 23% of such personnel in the largest companies had had no involvement in Net Zero planning. Dubbing the findings ‘shocking’,


BESA’s Technical director, Graeme Fox (pictured), said: “This shows there is a lot of talk about Net Zero and corporate flannel about sustainability, but many are not investing in the most obvious and straightforward measures. Retrofitting existing buildings can be done at speed, and more cost-effectively than some of the grandiose ‘statement’ measures being proposed by some organisations.” The Ridge report concluded that


the government could do more to make retrofitting financially attractive, with 52% of facilities managers calling for refurbishments to be VAT-free, and almost half citing business rates as discouraging investment in retrofit.


14 Health Estate Journal June 2023


Work begins on GPs’ surgery on former Ford factory site


Work has begun to fit out a new health centre at Beam Park in Rainham, Essex which will provide GP and community health services for thousands of local people. Expected to open in 2024, Beam


Park Health Centre will be built over two floors of a 12-storey building in Halewood Way, providing a GPs’ surgery, and other specialist GP-led services. It will house 22 consulting rooms, three interview rooms, one enhanced treatment room, and open plan offices. Plans were agreed as part of the planning approval for Countryside Partnerships’ and L&Q’s 3,000-home regeneration of the former Ford factory site, and drawn up by the local NHS working closely with Barking and Dagenham and Havering Councils, Countryside Partnerships, and L&Q. Work is under way on the fit-out, following the successful completion of the external and shell elements. Sarah See, MD, Primary Care, at NHS North East London, said: “Alongside providing vital health services for Beam Park residents, the new centre will play


an important role in our work with local partners to address health inequalities and encourage healthier lifestyles.” Beam Park is reportedly one of only


three regeneration schemes in London delivering at least 3,000 homes and providing 50% high-quality affordable housing. There will also be two schools, retail spaces, a gym, a nursery, a multi- faith centre, and two energy centres. Around 44% of the development has been allocated for publicly accessible green space, including a 3.5-hectare central park.


Coloured doorsets help create vibrant Children’s ED at Stoke Mandeville


The Children’s Emergency Department and Obstetrics and Gynaecology services at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury have been moved into a new, purpose-built unit.


The new facility will improve the services of the relocated departments, with the provision of dedicated children’s facilities, reduced ante-natal admissions, and service provision adhering to national screening programmes.


Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust wanted to create a bright and vibrant environment for the new 3,500 m2


Children’s and Maternity


Department. In line with the Trust’s branding colourway, the colours were chosen to achieve this and define and differentiate the Maternity and Gynaecology unit from other areas within the hospital.


Specialist Door Solutions supplied its Dfendoor doorset in a variety of colours and finishes for wards and corridors – including Trojan Oak, Mushroom, Primrose, Flint, Cobble, and Gunpowder. It said: “We liaised with the architects,


Hunters, during the early stage of the design, assisting with the door and ironmongery specifications to provide a cost-effective solution for all the doors in the scheme. A decision was taken to use both our textured Dfend and smooth Hydroclean finishes, to provide an incredibly resilient, hard-wearing, and hygienic doorset, ideal for high-traffic, high-wear, hospital environments.” Liam McNichol, associate director at Hunters, said: “The wide-ranging palette of colours and finishes that SDS provides was pivotal to achieving a playful and colourful design, which further assisted in improving wayfinding and the patient experience.”


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