RECENT NEWS

Millions of patients will be treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced, as – in the words of the Department of Health and Social Care – the Government’s Fit For The Future – 10 Year Health Plan for England, published today (3 July), ‘delivers a brand new era’ for the NHS, and ‘one of the most seismic shifts in care in the history of the health service.’

Willmott Dixon has started a £30 m regeneration programme at Barnes Hospital, recently joining patients, carers, NHS staff, teachers, and local leaders across health and education, in marking the commencement of works to develop an NHS mental health facility and a new Special Educational Needs (SEN) school there.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for ‘urgent action’ to tackle what it calls ‘a global crisis of loneliness and social disconnection’, in a new report informed by the research of Professor Pamela Qualter from The University of Manchester.

New guidance has been published aimed at addressing a key knowledge gap around strategic asset management among UK workplace and facilities managers (WFMs).

Jill Nicholls (pictured) is stepping up from her current role as head of Service Development at The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) to replace Helen Yeulet as the Association’s new director of Competence and Compliance.

Insulation manufacturer, Rockwool, has opened a new global centre of excellence for fire-stopping at Hams Hall, on the outskirts of Birmingham, where it says it will manufacture ‘a new best-in-class range of products’.

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has released a new NHS Estate Optimisation Guide ‘to help NHS leaders and estate managers navigate one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare: making the most of the places and spaces that support patient care’.

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) has held an event to ‘kick-start ‘the next stage of procurement with shortlisted suppliers for the Hospital 2.0 Alliance.

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has unveiled the third iteration of its framework agreement, Modular Buildings 3, to – as it puts it – ‘accelerate the construction of vital infrastructure across the UK’.

The ‘urgent need to re-think how hospitals are designed, built, and maintained, to prevent the ongoing crisis of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs)’, is highlighted in a new report, The Silent Pandemic: Healthcare Infections and the Need for Better Hospital Design, released by the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) this week.

The Delabie Group has announced that it has entered into an agreement with funds advised by Equistone, the majority shareholder of KWC Professional, and with the other minority shareholders, to acquire 100% of the share capital of KWC Professional – formerly known as Franke Water Systems – and its subsidiaries.

With NHS buildings accounting for over 15% of the organisation’s total carbon footprint, and Estates managers under increasing pressure to align infrastructure decisions with stringent sustainability goals, roofing upgrades and sustainable design can help NHS estates meet their environmental obligations through practical, long-lasting solutions.

New research from Trinity College Dublin scientists strongly implies that heatwaves have a major influence on the spread of many diseases – and that many existing predictive models have overlooked this complexity.

New research from Trinity College Dublin scientists strongly implies that heatwaves have a major influence on the spread of many diseases – and that many existing predictive models have overlooked this complexity.

ICS Cool Energy, a specialist in complete temperature control solutions for manufacturing process and facilities applications, has re-located its Birmingham operations to a new, purpose-built facility in Erdington Industrial Park.

As an organisation ‘committed to driving the industry forward and increasing awareness of the importance of building controls and automation’, the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has launched what it describes as ‘an informative and illustrative animated guide’ to building controls.

BDP has appointed Max Martin as the new head of its Birmingham studio, succeeding Dan Smyth, who is retiring this summer after a distinguished career in architecture and urban regeneration.

Millions of patients can now track their prescriptions thanks to the roll-out of a new feature in the NHS App helping to reduce unnecessary calls and visits to pharmacies.

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) says it is proud to announce its role in an award-winning research project that has been recognised with the ‘Most Significant Contribution to the Art and Science of Building Services Engineering’ at the 2025 CIBSE IBPSA-England Technical Symposium.

Patients and pupils across England are set to benefit from nearly £1.2 billion worth of ‘essential maintenance fixes’ being rolled out at hospitals and schools, the Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education, and NHS England, have announced.