Software & Smart Hospitals Theatre Seminars

10:30 am - 10:55 am

Assessing the Constraints of the Physical Environment for People with Frailty – Robot Cohabitation

Digital technologies in the form of smart built environment (BE) interventions, as well as the use of robots in environments for people with frailty, are constantly advancing. Their implementation so far is mainly limited to devices such as automatic vacuum cleaners, voice assistance or are used to support mainly exercise and companionship. Robotics aiming to support people with frailty are usually tested in laboratory settings without taking into account real BE considerations. By taking into account the physical barriers one meets in a real residential setting and how this could affect the robot-frail people cohabitation, this research project could further support digital innovation industry in reaching their potential, while in parallel people in need could be benefited by living a more independent life at their own space.

The aim of this multidisciplinary project is to support the creation of guidelines for human-robot co-habitation in residential and care BEs for people with frailty. It brings together expertise from healthcare architecture and BE, human-computer interaction, population health and clinical practice. Methodology includes focus groups with health professionals, architectural auditing of frail people’s residential BE, simulation of robot suitability within the frail persons residential BE and trial testing of selected robots for comparison with simulated data. By observing the physical factors of the robot movements and interaction needs with the resident, the project aims to uncover requirements that identify how cohabitation creates accessibility limitations from the technological perspective.

A pilot has already taken place at independent living for long-term care for frailty, where architectural data was collected. This fed into the creation of 3d models of the inside of real built environment settings. The testing of a variety of robots performing predetermined tasks – as determined by data collected from focus groups and interviews conducted - within these virtual environments and their efficacy, is currently in progress.

Findings from these simulations will support the design of a unified framework on people with frailty-robot co-habitation, by taking into account the needs of the user, the robot characteristics but also the residential and care BE parameters as well. This will be the first stage to a formal framework on designing residential BEs for people with frailty which will take into consideration a whole new set of advantages for its users.

11:00 am - 11:25 am

Your Journey To An All-electric Hospital – The Role of Digital Twins

The healthcare industry is seeing a radical shift towards resilience, efficiency, and sustainability. A critical pathway to future-proof estates lies in transforming to an all-digital, all-electric infrastructure. Electrification and digitisation can revolutionise healthcare facilities, ensuring they are capable of meeting today’s challenges while being adaptable for tomorrow’s uncertainties.

This presentation outlines how this can be done using a comprehensive electrical digital twin. It will delve into how these technologies can enhance operational efficiency, patient safety, and satisfaction while significantly reducing carbon emissions.

SPEAKERS

11:30 am - 11:55 am

How Innovation and Technology Ensures Sustainability in Healthcare Facility Design

How innovation and technology in offsite construction methodologies ensures sustainability in healthcare facility design.

Merit will organise and participate in a panel discussion, focusing on how advanced technology adoption within offsite construction methodologies can progress innovation in sustainability for the healthcare facility design.

Merit is the UK’s leading industrialised construction and digital manufacturing specialist, delivering high-quality, technically complex facilities for the healthcare, biotech, pharmaceuticals sectors in a third of the time compared to traditional methods of construction. Placing innovation, technology and sustainability at its core, Merit provides BREEAM Excellent, Zero Scope 1 Carbon in operation enabled facilities fast.

Hear key industry insights from sector professionals including:
- Tony Wells, CEO at Merit
- Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust – contact tbc.
- KLH Sustainability – contact tbc.

Merit kick-started 2024 with the announcement that it had been appointed by Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust to design and deliver its new therapy-led reablement unit on site at Norwich Community Hospital. The project, which utilises advanced offsite construction methods, will be completed in only 5 months.

Furthermore, Merit works closely and collaboratively with its sustainability consultant, KLH Sustainability, to provide full carbon assessment evaluations for all its projects.

The NHS has ambitious Net Zero targets, learn more from this panel discussion about what sustainability practices are vitally important to NHS Trust’s when considering the design of their healthcare facility, and hear more about where offsite construction and digital innovation fits into this.

Learn more about the key challenges facing the industry in adopting digital technologies and how the offsite construction industry provides solutions to overcome these challenges.

Understand how current offsite construction methodologies align with broader sustainability goals, contributing to both a greener healthcare and construction industry.

Chair

  • View full profile for Ed JonesEd Jones Senior Partner - Newmarket Strategy

SPEAKERS

3:00 pm - 3:25 pm

Improving Staff and Patient Experience Through Better Task Management

SPEAKER

3:30 pm - 3:55 pm

Digital Technology for Patients – Am I a Person or Data?

Whilst appreciating the importance of developing a smart digital infrastructure that improves operations and clinical outcomes, in this presentation I would like to discuss how digital technology can be used with and by patients on a more personal level and how this affects their relationship with their health condition and with clinicians.
I often joke I am part automated; I wear two digitally enabled healthcare devices one that monitors levels in my body and one that adapts treatment as a result of the monitoring. They work well individually but are most useful working together. Both devices run continuously 24 hours a day and send results to a clinical team at my local hospital who can read the data and make an assessment on my health.
From an NHS perspective this saves time and resources, with less administration and fewer appointments. If successful and used proactively it should prevent people being admitted to hospital and developing further health complications. From a patient perspective it offers reassurance, enables a higher degree of self-monitoring and knowledge and promotes personal responsibility.
But is this the full story? How will we stop the patient losing their voice to the data produced by a machine? Does the data ever reflect life? Is it more difficult to develop a relationship with patients when the knowledge you have or them is data driven rather than person centred? Do we as patients set ourselves up to fail by using data driven and reported standards and targets to monitor, control and assess ourselves?
And if are depending on the data too much, how can we do things better?

SPEAKER

4:00 pm - 4:25 pm

Building Digital Estates

The presentation will feature the progress and results so far from smart lighting, environmental sensing and energy monitoring and integration work currently being commissioned at Westmorland General Hospital Outpatients department. A digital twin and real-time location services trial at Royal Lancaster Infirmary will also be showcased.

The approach to setting up these works with a multi-disciplinary team of clinical, estates and digital colleagues in collaboration, securing innovation funding from commercial partners, the challenges, benefits and expected benefits will be covered and what we have learned so far.

SPEAKER

10:30 am - 10:55 am

Digitisation Strategies and Solutions for Patient Care and Workforce Empowerment

This presentation aims to unravel the complexities and potentials of digitising the New Hospital Programme (NHP), with a spotlight on connected room solutions (CRS) tailored for healthcare. We will explore linking data directly to patient outcomes, illustrated by real-world implementations like the proof of concept in Nottingham. We will also touch on how predictive maintenance initiatives enhance operational efficiency and safety. Engage with us to uncover the future of healthcare, one where digital transformation meets sustainability, cost-efficiency, and elevated patient satisfaction.

SPEAKERS

11:00 am - 11:25 am

Digital Technology to Aid Wellbeing in Hospitals and Elderly Care

The use of digital technology enables us to easily change a landscape and soundscape affecting not just what we see and hear but our biological and emotional selves so affecting how we feel and react in a space.
Starting with our sensory selves and our ideas of comfort and acknowledging how this can differ for different people and with ill health, this presentation shows how digitally adapting and personalising light, view and sound within a healthcare space has been shown to positively affect both patients and staff
Involving adaptable biocentric lighting and themed soundscapes, alongside personalised sound tracks and views we show how digitally adapting our interior environments can be used to enhance our patient experience in many ways. From enhancing appetite, improving sleep quality, and rest, through to increasing alertness and improving performance. This helps people feel more settled, and comfortable so reducing anxiety and tension.
From the user perspective all this is available at the touch of a button or screen

SPEAKER

11:30 am - 11:55 am

Improving Staff and Patient Experience Through Better Task Management

SPEAKER

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm

What Needs to Change to Make Hospitals Smarter?

The healthcare sector needs to adapt quickly to this fast-changing world where facilities must do more with less. On the one hand, this means focusing on building performance. In this regard it’s mostly about reducing energy and maintenance costs, but also increasing the utilization of available floorspace. On the other hand, staff must become more efficient. When it comes to technical and facility staff, the focus is on reducing the time needed for repairs and creating synergies when managing multiple buildings.

The need for smart hospitals that can do more with fewer resources is evident. More and more healthcare facilities are addressing these challenges with a culture of data-driven decision-making. Digitalization is broadly accepted as the enabler to tackle the challenges and stay competitive. For 75% of companies, digitalization is viewed as a key driver of change processes in buildings. But uncertainty and lagging experience are behind many requests for advice and simplified implementation.
What are the hurdles?

Cybersecurity concerns

Lack of collaboration between OT & IT

Complex, heterogeneous environments

Old & unconnected infrastructure

Many different facilities spread over a campus, region, or country

Multiple stakeholders with differing needs

Out of date tender processes

Unfamiliarity with new technology & best practices from around the world

What needs to change to make hospitals smarter? To answer this question, it is important to understand the two main components of what makes a hospital smart from a building-infrastructure perspective:

1. One common data environment (CDE) through the integration of systems and bringing data from these systems together in a data lake

2. Ecosystem of applications tailored to different stakeholders to maximize data value

In this session we look to cover the current challenges whilst shedding light on today’s solutions.

SPEAKER

2:30 pm - 2:55 pm

The All-Electric Hospital: How Electrification Can Meet Decarbonisation Goals

This presentation introduces the concept of an all-electric hospital, high-lighting the pivotal role of electrification and digitisation in revolutionising healthcare infrastructure with an emphasis on the challenges and opportunities associated with replacing traditional energy sources with electric alternatives.
Electrification and digitisation play a crucial role in achieving these objectives by reducing emissions, optimising energy usage, and promoting environmentally friendly practices. However, there are challenges to overcome, such as initial capital investment, regulatory compliance, and the reliability of newer technologies. Implementing an all-electric hospital requires careful planning, including conducting energy audits, researching suitable electric alternatives, analysing the grid energy mix, and redefining asset management strategies.

The transition to all-electric hospitals can significantly impact power demand, requiring the redesign of electrical infrastructure, the installation of EV chargers and solar PV generation, and the replacement of backup diesel generators with greener alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cells.

While there are challenges to address, the feasibility of designing all-electric hospitals is achievable with the coordination of multiple stakeholders and a commitment to sustainable practices.

SPEAKER

  • Daniel Garcia Gil Healthcare Solutions Team Leader - Buildings Segments - Schneider Electric