Facility Management: a make-or-breakcomponent of sustainability
With healthcare facilities under pressure due to increasing patient numbers and the need for high operational efficiency, effective facility management (FM) is essential to ensure these critical assets can adapt to dynamic changes such as digital transformation, the energy transition and the changing demands of patient care.
The challenges of Facility Management in the medical sector
Facility management ensures that all healthcare assets function optimally, which is essential for high-quality medical care. It encompasses a wide range of services and activities designed to ensure the functionality, safety, and reliable operations of healthcare facilities. As hospitals and other medical facilities become more complex, the need for advanced FM has increased. FM professionals are tasked with ensuring that these facilities are not only safe and efficient, but also able to adapt to ever-changing technological and environmental realities.
Integrated Facility Management: the Key to future-proofing healthcare facilities
FM in the medical sector today is about more than just maintaining buildings and equipment. It requires a comprehensive strategy that integrates multi-services, digital technology, security protocols and environmental stewardship to create a comfortable environment for patients, staff and visitors in efficiently and sustainably run facilities.
Equans takes a proactive approach to facility management that includes strategic planning, lifecycle and critical asset management, regulatory compliance and smart technologies. This integrated approach combined with multi-technical expertise, ensures the long-term sustainability and reliability of facilities that are essential to the delivery of uninterrupted, high-quality healthcare services.
Smart and strategic planning
As healthcare facilities evolve, strategic planning and management of their lifecycle and critical assets becomes increasingly important. This means designing buildings that are easy to maintain and upgrade, and that meet the highest standards of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Particular attention is paid to the selection of materials and technologies that minimise the environmental impact over the life of the facility.
Integrated hard and soft services and multi-technical expertise
IFM goes beyond the maintenance of the facilities themselves; it includes hard services — such as operation and maintenance of lifts and generators, HVAC, electrical systems and the structural integrity of buildings to prevent indirect disruption to critical services — as well as soft services such as cleaning, security, parking, waste management and workplace optimisation. Equans’ facility management strategy combines hard and soft services, regulatory expertise and multi-technical skills that encompass efficient equipment, green and smart technologies. Equans leverages its advanced digital solutions in smart building management to optimise occupant services and improve the user experience.
Preventive and predictive lifecycle and critical asset management
Critical healthcare assets — such as medical imaging technology, surgical devices and life support systems — require careful supervision to ensure their reliability. The failure of these assets can have a direct impact on patient care and safety. Equans' approach to managing critical assets includes a robust programme of preventative and predictive maintenance. Using advanced digital tools such as IoT sensors and AI-powered analytics, Equans can predict when a piece of equipment is likely to fail and carry out maintenance before this happens. This not only ensures the reliability of critical devices, but also optimises the lifespan of these assets. The maintenance of critical environments such as clean rooms and laboratories is carried out in strict compliance with industry standards and regulations.
Regulatory compliance
As industry regulations evolve, facilities must adapt to stay compliant and maintain the value of their assets. Equans helps facilities manage these changes by deploying adaptable designs and technologies that can be updated as needed to meet new regulatory standards without the need for major new investments.
Benefits of IFM: the lifeblood of healthcare operations
Through integrated facility management, Equans ensures that healthcare assets function safely for both patients and staff. This approach reduces downtime, increases operational efficiency and supports the facility's core mission of providing high quality patient care while achieving overall sustainability goals.
Enhanced patient safety and equipment reliability
The basis for effective healthcare is the reliability and safety of medical devices. Equans IFM includes rigorous preventive maintenance of equipment and vital support systems such as HVAC, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, ensuring that all devices and facilities are not only functional but optimally configured to meet strict security and operational standards to avoid potential disruptions to healthcare delivery. Regular checks and balances reduce the risk of failures that could jeopardise patient health. This ensures, for example, that the power supply in critical care areas is not interrupted and that climate control mechanisms are working optimally to prevent the spread of infection.
Streamlined patient and professional experience
Space optimisation is critical to reduce waiting times and prevent overcrowding, which can impact patient experience and staff productivity. Equans’ digital workplace management strategy optimises the spatial layout and use of facilities to ensure the smooth movement of patients, staff and equipment, which is critical in high-pressure environments like emergency rooms. Equans works side-by-side with healthcare professionals to develop tailored FM practices that consider a patient's journey from admission to discharge, ensuring that each stage is streamlined for maximum efficiency and comfort.
Efficient operations
By combining hard and soft services and multi-technical expertise, Equans’ facility management brings together the various aspects of FM into a cohesive one-stop shop that supports professionals in all departments. By managing everything from HVAC and electrical systems to more complex services such as cyber security and fire safety, Equans enables healthcare facilities to focus on their primary mission — patient care — while ensuring that the infrastructure efficiently supports this goal.
Financial sustainability
Managing the lifecycle of critical assets involves finding the optimal balance between initial investment costs and long-term operating costs. Equans uses its expertise to ensure that these facilities maximise their return on investment. This includes implementing energy and carbon solutions such as geothermal heat pumps and comprehensive optimisation strategies that enable facilities to control and significantly reduce operating costs over time.
Reduced carbon footprint
As important as they may be to our livelihoods, hospitals are significant consumers of energy and resources. Sustainability is a necessary focus for FM in healthcare, and Equans is leading initiatives to minimise the environmental impact of hospitals. These include optimising building management systems to reduce energy consumption, implementing the use of renewables, introducing environmentally friendly mobility solutions and more effective waste management. These practices not only help medical facilities to optimise their operating costs, but also to meet regulatory requirements and position themselves as community leaders in sustainability.
Case Study: improving healthcare and sustainability outcomes with IFM
Humber River Hospital, with 167,000 square metres of space and 114,000 admissions per year, was faced with the challenge of improving the quality of care through digital innovation. The IFM team, led by Plan Group, a subsidiary of Equans, installed advanced electrical systems and information, communication and automation technologies, including IoT installations, predictive maintenance and monitoring.
Equans' IFM approach included sustainability initiatives such as the optimisation of building management for energy efficiency and the introduction of geothermal and heat pump technologies. These measures are helping to reduce the hospital's carbon footprint and meet its overarching environmental goals.
These installations have helped Humber River Hospital become the first 'smart hospital' in North America. The technology deployed has made the patient journey more visible, clear and patient-centred. It has streamlined processes, reduced errors and improved operations as well as the overall experience for patients and staff.
Conclusion
The role of IFM in the healthcare sector is becoming increasingly crucial as the sector develops. It ensures that these facilities not only fulfil the current needs of their patients and staff, but are also prepared for future challenges. By incorporating these management strategies, facilities can improve patient care and operational efficiency while complying with evolving industry standards and regulations. With its advanced FM solutions, Equans exemplifies how integrated and proactive facility management can lead to better healthcare outcomes by creating a safer, more efficient and sustainable environment for patients and professionals, and a more sustainable future for medical organisations.