SPONSORED BY HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
Sir Simon Stevens owed ‘a huge debt of gratitude’
Sir Simon Stevens (pictured) formally notified the NHS England Board on 29 April of his decision to stand down, ‘as planned’, at the end of July this year, after more than seven years as NHS Chief Executive. He took up post on 1 April 2014, having joined the NHS in 1988 through its graduate management programme. In a varied career before becoming NHS England CEO, he worked in frontline NHS services and in international healthcare, in both the public and private sectors, and at 10 Downing Street and the Department of Health.
The NHS England Board will now lead the open competitive recruitment process for his successor. Sir Simon Stevens said: “Joining the health service in my early twenties was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, followed, three decades later, by the privilege of leading the NHS through some of the toughest challenges in its history. The people of
this country have rightly recognised the NHS staff’s extraordinary service during this terrible pandemic, and the success of our COVID vaccination deployment. As the pandemic recedes in this country, the NHS’s track record in advancing medical progress in a way that works for everyone rightly continues to inspire young people to join one of the greatest causes – health and high quality care for all, now and for future generations.”
Chair of NHS England, Lord David Prior, added: “Simon has successfully led the NHS through its greatest ever challenges – the worst pandemic in a century, the greatest funding squeeze since the Second World War, and unprecedented political volatility, working alongside three prime ministers, and four chancellors, against the backdrop of three general elections and a referendum. The NHS, and the country, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
Major carbon and cost savings for Shropshire hospital
A Shropshire hospital says it has reduced its electricity bill by a third, and substantially lowered its carbon footprint, with the installation of solar panels and energy-efficient LED lighting. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry has had 1,760 solar panels fitted, and upgraded all its lighting to LEDs. It is estimated that the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) is now saving over £217,000 per year, and reducing its annual carbon emissions by over 809. Nick Huband, director of Estates and Facilities, said: “It’s massively important for us to be more sustainable and efficient. The target is to get to net zero; it’s not insurmountable, although a big ask. It is ‘doable’, but there is significant capital investment required, and, more importantly, a different way of thinking. “Solar panels are really important to this strategy – not just in terms of financial return, but the offset against the carbon tonnage is also huge. All the hospital’s external lighting, and all the internal ward and theatre lighting, has been replaced with energy-efficient LED lighting. We’re expecting a £200,000 year reduction in our energy costs.”
16 Health Estate Journal June 2021
AR technology to simplify insulation choice
Rockwool has further enhanced its range of resources for specifiers, contractors, and building owners, with the launch of the Rockwool Interactive City, ‘a 3D environment’ that makes visualising, specifying, and learning about its non-combustible stone wool insulation easier.
The RJAH was able to carry out the work thanks to Salix Finance. With Salix’s help, the Trust unlocked £1.2 million in funding for the project. The hospital is now exploring adding two further rows of solar panels – which it estimates will reduce its annual energy bills by a further £65,000, installing more charging stations for electric car drivers, and planting trees to offset emissions. Nick Huband said: “We’ve put ourselves forward unsuccessfully for NHS and European funding, and without Salix’s support this work wouldn’t have happened. We’re looking at some more radical ideas like solar panels on our car park roof. The drive to reduce emissions is really well supported here, with substantial management and Board buy- in. It isn’t just about LED lighting and solar panels either. We have some green sites which, due to a number of restrictions, we can’t build on or sell, so we’re looking at ways to offset our carbon by planting trees.”
‘Intuitively designed using cutting- edge augmented reality’, the Rockwool Interactive City allows users to explore its solutions ‘across the whole of the built environment’ – from housing and offices, to transport hubs, healthcare, and education, ‘in a single simulated space’. Rockwool said: “Through features like zoom, 360º views, and pan-able application build-ups, it provides a virtual ‘hands-on’ experience when it’s not possible to touch, see, or hear products in practice.” Featuring a wide variety of applications, the tool can also be used to explore the versatility of Rockwool’s solutions, ‘understanding where its non- combustible products can enhance thermal, acoustic, or fire performance, in places users might not expect’. “The Interactive City takes product specification to the next level,” said Paul Barrett, head of Product Management. “As the whole of the built environment is covered, specifiers can quickly and easily find out how to achieve any desired outcome with our stone wool insulation – whether that’s improved patient experience, increased student attainment, or a safer, warmer, and quieter home. You can either browse the city, or jump straight to the area or building you need, delving into substrate build-ups and system designs.”
OGL3
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
