SPONSORED BY HEALTH SECTOR NEWS Pre-plumbed sanitaryware saves time
Venesta’s Vepps pre-plumbed sanitaryware – reportedly the sector’s first precision engineered pre-plumbed panelling system with a click-fix assembly into an aluminium frame – has been extensively used throughout two new short-stay inpatient wards at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich. Operated by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, the hospital – the Trust’s Medical director, Dr Elizabeth Aitken, explained – ‘often receives more ambulances than any other hospital in London’. She said: “In the past we simply haven’t had enough space for all our patients after they have been seen in A&E, which warranted the construction of two new short-stay inpatient wards.” Venesta said: “With a tight schedule, Vinci Construction, a previous user of our pre-assembled products, suggested our
Vepps sanitaryware.” Venesta’s Vepps ‘Healthcare’ range was used throughout the wards’ en suite, shower, and dirty utility rooms, with all sanitaryware pre-
plumbed and tested at the company’s manufacturing facility, saving time and reducing labour on site. Venesta says choosing Vepps enables sanitaryware installation to be completed ‘up to 75% faster than via other traditional methods’. The system also reportedly offers ‘easier ongoing maintenance’. Vinci’s Commercial director, Kevin Millen, said: “The pre-installed sanitaryware provided a better quality finish and a programme advantage”. Venesta said: “Vepps has been specifically engineered to achieve the highest quality finish in the shortest amount of time on site. We supplied more than 40 boxed-out handwashing units. The hospital required hassle-free maintenance, achieved via our linear- bearing hinged and lockable duct access panels that require no manual handling.”
Young patients see their designs come to life in new playroom
A new playroom for children at West Middlesex University Hospital, funded with the support of the local ‘community to hospital’ charity CW+’s Sun and Stars Appeal, has been officially opened by the Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Samia Chaudhary.
Young patients, their families, and staff, were central to the design process, with specialist indoor play manufacturer, Tigerplay – who CW+ commissioned for
the project. There was a particular focus on traditional play.
Previously, the playroom was outdated and in need of refurbishment, but it has been transformed into a bright, fun, welcoming environment equipped with activities and toys suitable for all young patients. There is a sensory area, which CW+ dubs ‘vital to support children with additional needs such as autism and epilepsy’, bespoke sensory lighting and equipment – adjustable to provide a calming environment, and a specially designed ‘Wendy house’, equipped with toy kitchen, play cots, and a garden area for cars and trucks. The playroom’s walls have been painted with bright colours, and fun wall vinyls installed, and there is ample space for arts and crafts activities. Teenage patients have their own
separate dedicated space, which was also recently developed as part of CW+’s Sun and Stars Appeal, and transformed thanks to the support of local company, SEGA. Natalie Cummins, Senior Play specialist, said: “We could not be happier with our new playroom. Our inpatient children’s wards see over 8,000 children every year, and they are often very unwell, in pain, and distressed. This new playroom gives them somewhere to play and just be children again.” Tigerplay has created exactly what our children wanted, and the high quality finish will mean it is durable for many years to come.”
The CW+ Sun and Stars Appeal is a £150,000 appeal ‘to transform the whole children’s inpatient ward into a fun and child-friendly environment’. Over £100,000 has already been raised.
Health sector pledges support for sustainability commitments the Department of Health and Social Care,
The Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) has worked in collaboration with a Cross System Group, comprising key representatives of organisations across the health and care sector, to establish what it describes as ‘significant sustainability commitments’ on behalf of 10 Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs). The SDU says the health sector in England is the first globally to issue ‘a collective commitment of intent to deliver climate-friendly services and a long-term commitment to sustainability’. The Arm’s Length Bodies affirming their commitment are: Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission,
14 Health Estate Journal May 2019
the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England, NHS Improvement, NHS Property Services, CHP, NHS Health Education England, and NHS Digital.
The Sustainable Development Unit said: “Their commitments are underpinned by a plan which supports key targets within the Long Term Plan, with the 10 ALBs jointly stating: ‘As leaders across the health and care sector, we take the responsibility of Sustainable Development seriously as a means of improving health. We support the delivery of the Long-Term Plan commitments, both
individually and collectively, to: Reduce carbon, waste, and water across our functions;
Reduce single-use plastics; Contribute to improved air quality; Improve health and sustainability by contributing to efficient, effective healthcare, and healthier and more sustainable places, thus reducing environmental hazards and our environmental impact.
“We will work together to ensure that our organisational and collaborative actions maximise the reach and contribution across the healthcare system.”
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