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East Midlands IHEEM Branch AGM highlights leadership, collaboration, and innovation
The East Midlands Branch of IHEEM held its Annual General Meeting on 8 April at Uttoxeter Racecourse, hosted alongside the IHEEM Healthcare Innovation Conference. The setting provided a fitting backdrop for a well attended AGM that reflected both the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare estates and facilities professionals across the region.
The meeting was chaired by James Chadwick, branch chair, who remains in post for the coming year. This will be his 8th year in term – having been in the position since 2018 – and James has agreed to continue this while the committee continues work through its succession plan and nominated a new chair during the year. In his chairman’s address, James reflected on a year that once again demonstrated the value of strong professional networks amid sustained pressures across the NHS and wider public sector. He highlighted the committee’s continued focus on supporting members through high-quality events, knowledge sharing, and maintaining a strong regional voice within IHEEM.
Regular committee meetings throughout the year, with consistently high levels of engagement, have enabled meaningful discussion on topics such as energy resilience, backlog maintenance, safety compliance, and the evolving NHS capital landscape. The diversity of professional experience within the committee was noted as a key strength, enabling informed debate and practical insight across a broad range of estates and facilities challenges. Welcoming new and prospective committee members has also been a priority, helping to ensure fresh perspectives are brought into branch decisionmaking and to support longer-term succession planning.
Events, engagement and professional development Member engagement remained strong throughout the year, with the branch delivering a varied programme of regional activity. This included technical site visit to Schneider Innovation centre, CPD-focused sessions, and collaborative events with neighbouring regions
10 Health Estate Journal May 2026
remains financially stable, with a year-end balance reported following planned expenditure on member engagement activities.
and partner organisations. Attendance levels continue to demonstrate a clear appetite for face-to-face engagement, while virtual formats have been used where appropriate to support accessibility.
The branch secretary, Matthew Gilmore, reported that the committee delivered seven hours of branch CPD over the past twelve months, with members also benefiting from national IHEEM events including the Healthcare Innovation Conference, AE Conference, Healthcare Estates Conference, and regional conferences across the UK. Engagement with industry partners, including smart hospital design sessions, further strengthened the branch’s technical offer.
Committee meetings have been structured to encourage idea sharing and forward planning, with a strong focus on ensuring agendas remain relevant to members’ day-to-day operational realities. Work is also underway to further standardise branch governance processes and templates to align with IHEEM best practice nationally.
National representation and influence As council member and an executive director of IHEEM representing the East Midlands,
James Chadwick also presented his annual report, outlining the region’s ongoing engagement with IHEEM Council. Key national themes discussed over the past year include workforce development, succession planning, financial sustainability, estate safety and compliance, and the increasing importance of sustainability and Net Zero delivery.
The East Midlands region continues to be well represented within national technical platforms and specialist groups, with improving participation compared to previous years. Regional feedback has been regularly fed into Council discussions, ensuring that national policy and guidance remain informed by operational experience on the ground. One notable development highlighted was IHEEM’s growing engagement with NHS England, including progress on the Authorising Engineer registers being formally referenced within Health Technical Memoranda, a positive step for professional recognition across the sector.
Committee and governance updates The AGM formally received and adopted reports from the chair, treasurer, secretary and council representative. The branch
In terms of governance, James confirmed his continued role as branch chair while discussions continue regarding future leadership arrangements. Several committee members remain in post, with new nominations and onboarding ongoing to strengthen representation across the industry. The branch also recognised the contribution of members who have stepped down during the year.
Looking ahead
Closing the meeting, the chair emphasised that while public sector pressures around funding, compliance, and workforce capacity remain significant, the coming year presents real opportunities. Priorities for 2026–27 include expanding joint working with other regions, increasing interim CPD offerings, strengthening leadership development, and broadening member engagement across the East Midlands, and asking the members what they would like to see at events and technical webinars going forward. Holding the AGM alongside the Healthcare Innovation Conference was recognised as a positive step, reinforcing closer alignment between regional activity and national events. There is a clear ambition for this format to become a regular fixture, supporting greater connectivity and collaboration across the Institute. The AGM concluded with thanks to the IHEEM executive team, branch officers, and committee members for their continued commitment, ensuring the East Midlands Branch remains active, relevant and well-placed to support its members through the year ahead.
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