COMMENT


How do we turn investment into progress?


Welcome to the September issue of Health Estate Journal. Announced in July as “the most ambitious capital budget in the history of the NHS”, the government’s 10 Year Capital Plan is arguably a generational opportunity to modernise our healthcare estate after many years of underfunding and neglect; an opportunity that, it is hoped, will not be adversely affected by recent personnel changes at the top – not least the Chancellor of the Exchequer. On 13-14 October, attendees at IHEEM’s flagship event – Healthcare Estates 2026 – will come together at this critical juncture to discuss how the government’s ambition – along with its injection of much-needed funds – can be translated into a safer, more sustainable, and more resilient healthcare estate – one that, at time of writing, requires an eye-watering £16bn simply to clear its maintenance backlog. From p97 onwards, readers can find out more about this unmissable event, including full Conference and Keynote programmes, a detailed floorplan, and information about some of the many companies and organisations that will be exhibiting at the two-day event. Looking to the future of the NHS is very much a running


theme across the dozen-or-so articles that feature in the September issue of HEJ. On p26, Claire Colgan, director and cost centre lead at Turner & Townsend, discusses how the NHS 10 Year plan is driving system transformation across estates, service models, and clinical priorities, while


Cover Story


Leading the way in specialist heating and ventilation training


Eastwood Park continues to lead the way in delivering certificated, specialist heating and ventilation training tailored for healthcare estates professionals. Set within a 200-acre Gloucestershire estate, Eastwood Park’s purpose-built training centre offers one of the UK’s most comprehensive HVAC training facilities. As a provider of City & Guilds-assured HVAC


training courses designed specifically with healthcare professionals in mind, Eastwood Park supports estates and facilities teams in developing the competence required to manage HVAC systems with confidence. In a sector where efficiency is crucial, training is more


than just maintaining equipment – it is about improving safety, protecting patients, and keeping critical healthcare environments safe. Eastwood Park’s hands- on training bridges the gap between theory and practical application. As all the courses are aligned with HTM 03-01, this ensures learners are up to date with the most recent UK healthcare technical standards. Learners consistently praise the quality and impact of Eastwood Park’s training. One learner commented: “I have learnt to understand a lot more. The course was delivered well and explained clearly. I am now comfortable reviewing reports and have a far better understanding of all


Sepetmber 2026 | Volume 80 | Issue 08


Informing the future


of CDCs see page 31


elements.” Another described the experience as being led by “a very competent and knowledgeable instructor who delivered very tough content.” At Eastwood Park, every


course is designed with the learners in mind, combining expert instruction with practical, engaging learning to ensure learners leave with the confidence to apply their knowledge in the workplace. As healthcare estates teams continue to face


growing compliance requirements, ageing infrastructure, and increasing operational pressures, developing a skilled and competent workforce is essential. Eastwood Park’s specialist HVAC training helps organisations build the expertise needed to keep critical healthcare environments safe, compliant, and efficient.


Better design for clinical


isolation see page 45


Investment into progress at


Healthcare Estates see page 97


Eastwood Park Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire GL12 8DA T: 01454 262 777 E: training@eastwoodpark.co.uk www.eastwoodparktraining.co.uk


on p31, Jonathan Stead, healthcare framework director at Morgan Sindall Construction, discusses the company’s approach to a new generation of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).


Having come into force in 2024, the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) mandate marked a fundamental shift in how healthcare infrastructure projects should be designed and delivered, and on p65, Perega’s Amy Norman, Charles Rothnie, and Ben Gillham explain how Trusts can operationalise the mandate within the physical and budgetary constraints of existing hospital sites. We also consider, on p93, the key role of retrofitting as


part of a strategic approach to futureproofing healthcare estates, courtesy of Distech Controls’ VP of Sales for EMEA Darryl Gregory. Of course, any discussion of replacing or updating the estate must place patient wellbeing at its core. When Jamie Brewster, architect at MJ Medical, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2020, a three-week stay in hospital isolation led him to question every room he had ever designed. On p45, Jamie discusses his experiences and his mission to understand and improve, through better design standards, other patients’ experience of clinical isolation. All this and much more can be found in this September


edition of HEJ. I hope you enjoy the issue.


Advertising feature


Matt Seex, Editor mattseex@


stepcomms.com


Find out more September 2026 Health Estate Journal 5


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  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136