COMMENT
Resilience, renewal and building for the future
Hello and welcome to the November issue of Health Estate Journal – the last of this year. Well, what a year it has been. Starting with the announcement of the updated New Hospital Programme back in January, which told of a renewed commitment to funding 40 new hospitals by 2030, the year has taken us on a journey of innovation, debate, and resilience. Throughout 2025, we have seen a continued drive to modernise the NHS estate and address the mammoth maintenance backlog with ambitious projects both large and small. One of the big successes of the year was the tradeshow Healthcare Estates, which highlighted a plethora of solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges. It was such a personal pleasure to meet so many of you there and hear your opinions on what matters most in this sector. Be sure to check out our comprehensive review of the event in the January issue. There has also been growing discussion about what a sustainable and resilient healthcare estate really looks like. The trials of online hospitals, announced by NHS England at the end of September, mark a notable shift in how we might deliver care in future – testing the boundaries between physical and digital infrastructure. Yet these innovations coexist with long-standing challenges. Across the UK, broken lifts, leaking roofs,
Cover Story
Supporting the NHS in meeting new standards for infection control
The 2025 Healthcare Estates conference in Manchester marked the launch of T-safe360, a new framework from T-safe created in direct response to the NHS Estates Technical Bulletin NETB 2024/03. Published amid growing concern over non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and other opportunistic waterborne pathogens, NETB 2024/03 recognises the critical role of point-of-use (POU) filters play in protecting vulnerable patients. The guidance sets higher standards for how filters are validated, deployed, and managed, while also recommending a precautionary approach: filters should now be used proactively in very high-risk areas, not only as a reactive measure following out-of-specification results or clinical infections. T-safe360 has been designed to help NHS estates and IPC teams meet these requirements with confidence. Built around five core pillars, it provides a complete, future-ready strategy: n Complete range for all outlets – the UK’s widest range of POU filters, validated as sterilising grade and proven for full life cycle performance.
November 2025 | Volume 79 | Issue 10
The roadmap to carbon-neutral
healthcare see page 31
n Gold-standard validation – testing to ASTM F838 and beyond, with full life cycle retention against clinically relevant pathogens, meeting the requirements of NETB 2024/03.
Hidden risk in electrical
systems see page 51
Bringing nature into hospital
design see page 60
T-safe
T: 0300 125 6050 E:
sales.uk@
t-safe.com
www.t-safe.com
Cover HEJ
Nov25.indd 1 27/10/2025 15:26 Find out more November 2025 Health Estate Journal 5
n Service-led deployment – regional teams delivering rapid response, rollouts, health checks, and on-site support.
n Embedded governance – structured policies and oversight aligned with NETB 2024/03, ensuring sustainable compliance and audit readiness.
n Digital compliance – FilterHub, T-safe’s compliance platform, tracking filter use, sample results, and remedial actions in real time.
Stephen McCreanor, Managing director of T-safe UK, said: “NETB 2024/03 is a turning point. It acknowledges that POU filters are no longer just a reactive measure but a proactive safeguard for the most vulnerable patients. With T-safe360, we’ve created a framework that goes beyond the filter itself. It’s about giving hospitals confidence that their waterborne infection control measures are both effective and compliant.” With T-safe360 now rolling out nationwide, NHS hospitals gain access to a complete strategy for POU filters in waterborne infection control.
ongoing RAAC issues, and dilapidated facilities continue to make headlines, a stark reminder that the foundation of healthcare delivery – the built environment – remains under immense strain. With this omnipresent pressure, the question of funding has become even more pressing. NHS England’s exploration of new private finance arrangements to address shortfalls has raised both interest and concern. While private investment could provide much-needed relief, it also raises questions about accountability, value for money, and long-term sustainability. These conversations signal a shift in how healthcare infrastructure might be financed, and delivered, in the future. As 2026 approaches, I would like to wish you all a
healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. I hope you are all able to take a well-deserved break in some capacity, or at least have a moment to pause and reflect, so that you return ready to embrace the challenges of our industry with renewed vigour, vitality, and enthusiasm.
Starting with the announcement of the updated New Hospital Programme, the year has taken us on a journey of innovation, debate, and resilience
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Niamh Marriott, Editor
niamhmarriott@
stepcomms.com
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