PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS Joint venture


Ian Hinitt said that 2016 had also seen IHEEM and HefmA establish a joint venture, Healthcare Buildings and Environments Ltd, or ‘HBE’, specifically to exploit opportunities to support the development of national standards and guidance publications, and accredited membership training schemes.” The HBE Board was currently formalising opportunities for collaboration with the Building Research Establishment, BRE, ‘to enhance the offer to both IHEEM and HefmA’s membership’, and Ian Hinitt had just received an email from the multidisciplinary building science centre to assist any NHS member Trusts in formulating a response to NHSI’s October 2018 announcement of the availability of £46 m in funding to enable healthcare facilities to implement LED lighting (HEJ – November 2018). HBE was also developing collaborative internet hosting capabilities to provide a ‘go-to’ resource for the two bodies’ respective memberships.


Engagement with Branches Focusing next on engagement with Branch activities, Ian Hinitt said that, having formerly chaired IHEEM’s Yorkshire Branch, he had first-hand experience of the significant networking benefits to be gained from Branch meetings. He said: “I am very keen to support Branch activity, and to visit the Branches. I also believe there is greater scope for head office support for branch activity. I will thus be working with head office and branches to develop a Branch Operating and Resource Manual, so that Branches have a series of pro forma resources to simplify administration and minimise their efforts in securing guest speakers and arranging CPD events. I plan to create a speaker and CPD event bank, and will be writing to our Company Affiliates to determine their willingness to participate.” Ian Hinitt said he also planned to visit all IHEEM’s UK branches in each year of his two year-term.


His fourth area of focus would, he said, ‘‘


We must bridge the limitations of availability in training skilled engineers and allied professionals and trades


be wider collaboration with the University sector; he mentioned his participation earlier that day in a roundtable event on the subject, where participants agreed there was much to gain for IHEEM from engagement with colleagues in higher education.”


The future workforce He said: “With technology having changed at an exponential rate since the NHS’s formation, and continuing to do so, alongside changing social expectations and diversity, greater access to higher education, and upward mobility, there are more undergraduates than ever, but we still face significant challenges in sustaining and developing our future workforce. For our own fraternity,” he added, “we must bridge the limitations of availability in training skilled engineers and allied professionals and trades.” IHEEM had, he explained, recently written to 75 universities with an offer of University Affiliate membership at no cost, ‘to raise the profile of our sector and how IHEEM can support the exciting career opportunities for graduates’.


Fostering research


Ian Hinitt said that – through the Institute’s University Affiliate network – he would be looking to expand IHEEM’s collaboration in research in the healthcare built environment, by developing and supporting research and dissertation opportunities for undergraduates, for instance by ‘connecting’ students with the IHEEM and HefmA NHS Affiliate Member Trusts and hospitals willing to participate in student research projects.


He added: I am also delighted to announce a new IHEEM Sustainability Technical Platform, which in principal will be co-chaired by eminent Alan Short, Professor of Architecture at Cambridge University, and Peter Guthrie, director of Research in Sustainable Development at the University’s Department of Engineering.


“My fifth focal point,” Ian Hinitt explained, “will be working with academic and training providers, such as Eastwood Park, a long-standing Company Affiliate which specialises in accredited training courses for healthcare engineering and the built environment.” IHEEM would also be working closely with training providers and NHS Trust Affiliates, ‘to determine the need for and develop specific training courses for trade staff, technicians, and managers’. He said: “I am delighted that the Institute’s Management and Finance Committee recently made a first recommendation to Council for the accreditation of two courses provided by IHEEM Company Affiliates – a BOC course for medical gas system maintenance and operational management, and a Spirax Sarco course for steam processing and heat transfer systems. I hope we will be in a position to accredit future similar training courses to enhance training opportunities for our members and the wider industry soon.”


Promoting and supporting apprenticeships


Focusing next on IHEEM’s work with training providers to ‘promote and support apprentices’, Ian Hinitt said many NHS staff, himself included, had commenced their careers on an NHS apprenticeship training scheme, accredited specifically for the NHS and run by the ‘now demised’ Regional Health Authorities. He elaborated: “Sadly, there is now no such scheme run as a national programme, although there are some exemplar regional apprentice schemes, such as the highly successful NHS Northern and Yorkshire NHS Assessment Centre in the north-east of England.” One


Medical Gas Authorising Engineers & Authorised Persons


As the UK’s largest professional services company specialising solely in Medical Gas professional services; we are in the perfect position to support your facilities.


National coverage with five regional offices based from North London to Newcastle with a fully qualified and experienced team of Medical Gas AEs and APs.


Email: info@medicalgasservices.net Tel: 0800 048 16 16 Armstead House, Cobcroft Lane, Cridling Stubbs, North Yorkshire WF11 OAZ


January 2019 Health Estate Journal 21


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