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Hydrock brings expertise to NHS estates programme to help meet sustainability and safety goals

19th Oct 2023

We are appointed as a partner to Archus on a four-year programme to support NHS England Estates and Facilities Management with guidance on designing, planning and adapting healthcare facilities that ensure patient care is delivered to the highest standard.

Technical Standards and Guidance Programme

Leading healthcare infrastructure specialist, Archus has been reappointed to the next phase of the NHS Estates Technical Standards and Guidance Programme, with Hydrock selected as one of its partner organisations to provide specific expertise to the programme.

The programme includes Health Building Notes (HBNs) which provide design guidance and advice on asset management and construction, and Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs) - these provide technical engineering advice on design and maintenance of buildings and systems.

Alongside Archus, our role is to update, re-write and author new guidance for these well-established HBNs and HTMs to ensure all NHS organisations and their design teams operate and maintain safe, secure, suitable and sustainable estates to benefit patients and staff alike.

Helping address the future sustainability of the NHS estate

With our technical input, the guidance documents will help the NHS, and its estate management and design teams, to plan spaces, taking into account key requirements such as ventilation, safety, waste and the NHS Green Plan.

Commenting on our appointment as a partner to Archus, Mark Walker, Hydrock's healthcare sector lead, said:

“These guidance documents cover every aspect of a healthcare estate, from A and E, to maternity, to mental health, and from water management to resilience. Together with Archus and all partners on this programme, we can advise on adapting to climate change, more efficient energy usage, and how the requirements of the Building Safety Act will influence the healthcare estate.”

Shane Dineen, managing director at Archus reaffirmed the importance of these standards and guidance:

“The NHS Technical Guidance publications are a seminal part of setting the standards for high quality care environments and considered best practice, not only in the UK, but in healthcare systems around the world. We are immensely proud to continue to work alongside and support the team at NHS England on this important programme of work.”

The HBNs and HTMs are essential requirements for best practice and to meet and exceed regulatory compliance.

Mark Walker added:

“I am delighted we have been selected to partner and collaborate with Archus to contribute to a programme that will influence the future of the healthcare estate. How the healthcare sector responds to all the trends facing its future will be dependent upon these essential guidance documents.”