As we approach the next step in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, including the reopening of indoor entertainment venues from 17 May, it’s an opportunity for many to reflect on the changes life has thrown at us since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. Whilst almost every industry was affected when lockdown pressed pause on daily life, the UK construction industry was ground to a complete halt for nearly 2 months when workers were ordered to stay at home. Not only did 80% of construction businesses have to cancel or postpone projects (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme, 2020), but when construction eventually resumed in the spring, supply chain disruptions caused further issues, with many goods and services becoming unavailable. Trade and travel restrictions continued throughout 2020, as did increased operating costs, decreased demand and mandatory legislation that required employees to social distance and wear PPE on site. But with light finally at the end of the tunnel and reports showing a positive trajectory for the future of construction, attention turns to the aftermath and what is considered the new ‘normal’. Has the working landscape changed forever, and what positives can we take from these new ways of working? Employees from professional tool manufacturer Hilti share their thoughts. Michaela Hunter, Training Officer “When Covid hit, I had to work out how to deliver effective training to Hilti employees in a format that I never thought was possible. We were faced with the challenge of converting all of our material into a digital format, meaning we lost a key element of the training which was hands-on experience with the tools. It’s also more difficult to engage people digitally, so we had to get creative with activities and group work to encourage participation and help increase knowledge retention. We had a recruitment freeze in the UK too, so some of the team were redeployed to support other areas of the business, as there were less new employees to train. “Adapting to this new way of working has been a struggle for me and made me appreciate the small things in life. It’s been really tough not having that social interaction in the office, where we could have a chat over a coffee. Not to mention the technical issues that come with working digitally. On the flip side, it’s shown how people have the resilience to adapt to dramatic changes. It’s created opportunities which we can utilise even when the pandemic is over, although I’m really looking forward to running sessions in person again.” Charlie Ashworth, Implementation & Care Manager for Tool Services “My team is national based so before the pandemic, I would usually spend 2-3 nights a week away from home. Over the past year, that hasn’t been possible and I haven’t been able to join my colleagues in their cars during field rides. I’ve had to adapt the way I coach and support the team – remote field rides via Teams has meant I’m in more regular contact with each team member. “I’ve really enjoyed spending more time at home and hardly any nights in hotels, which has been great from a work-life balance perspective. Being able to join customer meetings via Teams has allowed me to be more productive too. But coaching and supporting is the best part of my role, so I’ve missed the human contact, as you don’t get the same experience with a Teams call compared to a full day in the field. “I don’t think work will ever return to normal. Teams meetings will continue and there’ll definitely be less travelling in my role, but I still intend to get back out in the field once or twice a week.” Emma Ross, Regional Head of Warehousing “Working in Logistics during the pandemic has hugely challenged us as a team, as we simply can’t do our job remotely. The biggest impact it had for me personally was the greater focus of putting people first. I have always looked to do this, but the stress and pressure the team were under gave greater emphasis to keeping them safe – both physically and mentally. Those people working in warehousing across the country are the hidden key workers. Being unable to work from home and having to go in everyday takes its toll. “We’ve really missed working alongside our office-based colleagues. Less formal communication is difficult to get right over Teams, so I’m certainly looking forward to meetings in person. We’re a very hands-on operation and like to physically show people the challenge, which isn’t as easy over a video call. “On a positive note, the small team left on site have become much stronger and closer. The worry that you might make a loved one sick isn’t easy to face every day, so we’ve been able to support each other. But, the realisation that we’ve helped keep businesses moving, and even contributed to the construction of the Nightingale hospitals, has made it a very rewarding year.” Chris Butters, Internal Sales Account Manager for Building Construction “The past year has been a weird experience. I definitely never thought I’d do an interview sat in my kitchen wearing a pair of shorts. I’ve started in a new team too, so it’s been interesting meeting new team members and doing training via Teams rather than getting hands-on with the tools. I’ve also missed the banter of being in the office, and just seeing people in general. “Despite the weirdness, I’ve loved being at home. I got to experience all of my son’s “firsts” like crawling, walking and talking – which is something I missed out on with my little girl. Luckily, I’m now back in the office twice a week, so it’s nice being able to see people and get support face to face.” Has COVID-19 forced your business to adopt new ways of working? And has jobsite productivity fallen as a result? Get back on track with Hilti’s free productivity guide > References:https://www.chas.co.uk/blog/covid-impact-on-construction-industry/

The sharing of patient information and collaborative processing of information is essential in health care. The COVID-19 pandemic really highlighted that. There were so many events where collaboration was needed between hospitals and community care providers, as far as both infected patients and patients recovering. One way to facilitate collaboration in healthcare is through real-time e-notifications that can be shared across settings and providers. With e-notifications in health care, some of the issues that arose throughout the pandemic as far as patients going back into vulnerable nursing homes while they were still infected with COVID-19 might have been mitigated. The following are some of the benefits of e-notifications as a way to boost collaboration and communication in healthcare. Many of these benefits touch not just specifically on e-notifications but also technologically-driven communication in general. Improving Care and Outcomes The biggest benefit overall of collaboration and e-notifications in health care are improved patient outcomes and care. When a patient is seen by multiple providers, especially across both hospital and community care settings, a breakdown in communication can be extremely detrimental. Every person who sees a patient is going to have a unique perspective within their area of expertise. Collaboration and communication tools help create a holistic view of the patient. Real-time communication paves the way for providers to act as if they’re together in the same room as they care for the patient, even when they rarely are. Within the framework of COVID-19 and potentially other infectious diseases as well, e-notifications and real-time collaborative tools let providers get in touch with other providers quickly and obtain medical histories rapidly, which is needed for decision-making. Otherwise, phone calls, emails, or faxes, which were the way data was previously exchanged, can create delays in treatment or even unnecessary interventions. The faster information can be transferred, the better. Provider Safety Communication and e-notifications don’t just help patients—they help providers stay safe. For example, if you’re a community-based provider and you’re dealing with a patient who’s returning to you with an infectious disease, you’ll need real-time updated information so that you can continue care in a way that’s safe for them but also you and the people you work with. You’ll be able to put in place the necessary safety measures and prepare your staff accordingly. Faster Treatment Along with better overall treatment, increased real-time communication can mean treatment begins faster. A lot of the care patients receive ends up taking place in what’s a lengthy process. Physicians have to wait for one another and wait for results. That then leads to worsening in certain conditions and frustration for patients. The Joint Commission always highlights staff communication and speeding up getting test results in the right hands as a National Patient Safety Goal. As communication is increasingly bridged, it helps treatment begin faster. Improving Efficiency and Reducing Costs E-notifications and collaborative tools can help prevent errors and deliver better outcomes. That’s good for the patient, but it also reduces health care costs and improves overall efficiency. You’re cutting out some of the operational redundancies that can bog down a health care facility. Research has shown that when collaboration is improved, it helps hospitals decrease the average length of stays and increase bed return. It can also increase before-noon discharges. Prioritizing the Sickest Patients When there are real-time notifications available, the sickest patients, particularly in a situation like COVID-19, can be prioritized. For example, information can be shared about discharge, which can ensure then, as quickly as possible, when they’re ready, recovering patients are moved out of critical care levels so that new patients can come in. With discharge notifications, there can then be a triggering of the follow-up services, which could potentially include telehealth after a patient leaves the hospital. Improved Staff Satisfaction When staff have an easy, streamlined and real-time way to communicate, which has in the past meant significant barriers, they’re likely to be happier overall in their job and feel more satisfied, which improves care and reduces turnover. There starts to become a sense of teamwork that can develop with the right tools for collaboration. Overall, when you prioritize real-time communication and e-notifications, it’s going to improve outcomes, employee experience, and it’s also going to have financial benefits and lead to more efficiency. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have likely led many health care organizations to reassess the old way of doing things and move toward a more collaborative model facilitated by technology.

Sustainability, digitisation and adopting exciting new technologies are key to building back from the coronavirus pandemic, according to presenters at this year’s Summit of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), hosted for the first time ever as a virtual event along with a digital prize-giving for the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) on 18 March 2021. The theme of the IPAF Summit will consider the question of sustainability in powered access, the challenges of operating safely and effectively in the post-Covid-19 era, and the opportunities of digital and technological innovation for safer work at height. Suzannah Nichol, CEO of Build UK, said during her Summit-opening presentation: “How do we grow and build sustainable businesses? Pay suppliers on time, treat staff well, and invest in new technology. That’s what IPAF and Build UK have in common. We benchmark our members, and most now pay their suppliers within 30 days – while we’re not there yet, we have made great strides on this issue. “We also want to make our industry more efficient, reduce waste and increase productivity. Why have one form when you can have ten, seems to be our industry’s mantra at times, and so we are building a new prequalification framework, the Common Assessment Standard. We think this will save the industry up to £1 billion a year, not to mention reduce paperwork and free up key staff for other more productive tasks. “Last but by no means least we focus on people: Recruiting, training and retaining talent. Without the right people, we can’t operate. It is up to all of us to take our enthusiasm, passion and skills into schools to encourage young people into our industry. How we train people is really important and IPAF is definitely a leading light in that department. We need to provide more apprenticeship places and encourage young people into them. Finally, working flexibly has seen a major shift in the past year. “Everyone who has participated in this event has the power to do things differently, every one of us has a part to play in making our industry better, and we all need to ask ourselves what part will that be?” In answer to questions about the post-pandemic future, she added: “Construction work is holding up and the figures from February 2021 show we are back to pre-pandemic levels already, albeit a lot of that is catching up on the existing pipeline; we are keeping an eye on the pipeline for the future, and we need to do all we can to make sure that the UK is a great place to do business in future.” The presentations and discussions were interspersed by announcements of the category winners of the 2020-21 IAPAs, as well as video presentations from sponsors and a closing virtual delegate networking session. There was also a video about how IPAF member firms have supported clients, communities or charities in the pandemic. The event was hosted by Mark Durden Smith, a TV presenter in the UK. Thanks to the support of event sponsors, registration for the event was free and more than 1,000 participants from no fewer than 67 countries worldwide.

Towns and cities across the UK were experiencing an exciting urban revival before the pandemic hit. The face of the high street was changing, green spaces were cropping up, and the demand for city centre living was continuing to drive how people enjoyed and experienced their local communities. The pandemic stopped us all in our tracks as people have been staying at home for prolonged periods of time and reassessing their priorities when it comes to where they live, how they shop, and how they spend their money. James Cook, Head of Planning at Blacks Solicitors, shares his thoughts on how recent planning changes will impact our towns and cities as we begin to ease out of lockdown and move to a post-Covid world. Covid has had a radical impact across almost every aspect of society, and it’s no different when it comes to town and city centre planning; it has accelerated many changes which were already being experienced. How has retail changed? The role of retail in our towns and city centres has changed dramatically in recent years. There are various reasons for this, from advances in technology and online shopping, to the lifecycle of certain retail formats. We were already in a position pre-Covid where evolution was critical to maintain footfall and keep people engaged. The growth in city centre living combined with more varied working hours had also highlighted the need for easy access to flexible format convenience shopping and other services within our towns and city centres. Post pandemic it will become even more crucial to offer a more diversified shopping experience alongside a wider mix of uses. From 1 September 2020 a new broad “Commercial, business and service” Use Class E was created, combining uses such as retail, restaurants, cafes, offices, gyms and health centres into one broad category. With certain exceptions, changes within this class will not require planning permission. The legislation has at its heart a more general desire from the Government to provide flexibility for businesses to adapt, diversify and respond quickly to the changing demands of communities. Supporting housing delivery in town and city centres, and on the high street Permitted development rights allowing the change of use of various premises have also evolved. In August 2020 a new permitted development right was introduced to allow the demolition of purpose-built detached blocks of flats, offices and light industrial premises, and replace them with purpose-built detached buildings for use as flats or a single dwelling house. Additional rights also provided for the construction of new dwellings on top of purpose-built detached blocks of flats; and certain other buildings. These rights are subject to certain conditions as well as a prior approval process. The Government has recently consulted upon further changes to support housing delivery including a new permitted development right to allow the change of use from a use or mix of uses within the new Class E to residential use, subject to conditions and prior approvals. The Government described this as going “significantly beyond existing rights, allowing for restaurants, indoor sports, and creches etc. to benefit from the change of use to residential under permitted development rights for the first time.” These changes are radical and controversial with questions being asked about the impact of the loss of commercial spaces and infrastructure investment the changes may generate a need for. Greener and healthier cities The pandemic highlighted the need for green infrastructure to be at the heart of the creation and regeneration of city centres moving forward, particularly to respond to the fact that many people living in urban centres have limited or even no private outdoor amenity space. This will not only enable us to adapt to climate change and reduce pollution, but make towns and cities more liveable. Looking ahead Covid has emphasised the changes that were already happening to our town and city centres. The Government has taken the opportunity to introduce further planning related flexibility for uses and changes of use which it hopes will kick start the post Covid economic recovery. It remains to be seen whether these changes strike the right balance between the flexibility and the correct amount of regulation needed to revive our town and city centres after lockdown.

Spring is in the air in the Scottish residential property market and, after a winter which both dampened and at times froze growth, activity and interest is burgeoning again, raising hopes of a bountiful and fruitful summer. We are in quite a different place from a year ago, when the storm clouds were just beginning to gather on the horizon. Now, cautious optimism is permeating not just the housing arena, but many other sectors of the economy as well. It is not hard to see why. After 12 months in the doldrums, there is a widespread sense that restrictions may be beginning to lift at last – with less of a threat that the cell door will slam shut again. Schools are heading back, the vaccine rollout continues to be a spectacular success and people are drifting back to work. Spring and summer promise to be periods of frenzied activity, comparable to July and August last year when lockdown was first eased. Then, the market bubbled away nicely until the brakes were hastily applied again on Boxing Day and activity dropped down several gears in January and February. Now that we are back on the road, agents are reporting that they have a cornucopia of stock lined up on their books just waiting for the sellers to press the start button. There is a feeling that people are champing at the bit to get on with their lives. But unlike last year, when we had to cram a completely lost Spring market into a frenetic Summer market, this year promises a more measured market, which should allow the pent-up demand to come through in a controlled manner, rather than as a dam burst. And there is no doubt that aspects of the market are irrevocably changed. While in pre-Covid times aspirational moves tended to be price-driven, the new, fluid job market in which the majority of people are now operating has focused attention on other attributes. An increasingly dominant factor on the wish list now is more space – a most understandable imperative for families in which both parents are hot desking in the kitchen while trying to maintain some educational stability in their children’s home schooling. Gardens, views, countryside and local amenities have assumed a much greater importance for people whose lives have been confined for a year and, as a consequence, peripheral markets have done very well of late. As well as offering a different lifestyle, they have the added attraction of being significantly cheaper. Of course, Glasgow and Edinburgh will always be vibrant, but buyers in this more comprehensively interconnected period are also looking further afield – in the case of the former to Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, and in the latter to Fife, the Borders and East Lothian. The North East has always been a distinctive market in its own right, still dominated by the hydrocarbons industry, and the North West has seen a surge in demand, with our offices in Oban, Elgin and Inverness reporting huge interest in lifestyle opportunities. We can have little to complain about in a year where official statistics report average prices across Scotland rising by 8.4% and the number of sales rising by over 30%, but there has to be a degree of disappointment that the extension of the stamp duty holiday in England until June, with tapered relief until September, has not been matched in Scotland. The rationale in Holyrood for stopping the limited concessions in Land and Buildings Transaction Tax at the end of this month (March) appears to be that the market is active, the stimulus has done its job and therefore it is no longer necessary. It has to be remembered, however, that the property market is always a major economic driver and there surely also has to be an argument, as seems to have been recognised by the UK Chancellor, for keeping it stimulated as we claw our way to post-Covid recovery. And that recovery, when it comes, could well be a rollercoaster ride. The Bank of England note that significant amounts of money have been accumulating in people’s pockets over lockdown – in December the estimate was over £100 billion – and, when it is unleashed, we could be heading for a new Roaring Twenties. Scotland has great choice and diversity in its housing, as well as affordability, and there is no reason why we should not also forge ahead. But perhaps, by the end of the summer, a more desirable state might be a steady but unspectacular market with stable price growth. John McHugh is Managing Partner of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors.

Academics at Northumbria University, Newcastle, have been backed by the Government’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) to develop an antiviral coating suitable for use on everyday surfaces. DASA, part of the Ministry of Defence, has commissioned a research team from Northumbria to develop a new type of multifunctional antiviral coating which could form part of the country’s biodefence – crucial to combatting public health crises such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), academics from the University’s Department of Applied Sciences are working to create a unique “superhydrophobic” – low friction – coating that enables surfaces to be functionalised in a way that destroys viruses whilst maintaining robust and easy-to-clean properties. While antiviral coatings are not a new concept, existing approaches can release undesirable chemical compounds into the environment, are not long lasting or are difficult to clean and maintain. This novel coating aims to provide a solution to the drawbacks of current formulas. Funding from DASA will enable the research team to explore wide-ranging applications, to understand whether the coating is universally robust on an array of surfaces and materials. It is hoped that in the future it could be used on high-contact surfaces such as handrails on public transport, hospital trolleys or shop till-points, as well as domestically – on door handles or bathroom taps, for example. Such a scientific development is a vital biodefence tool that could help bring down the COVID-19 ‘R’ rate, while allowing more scope for ‘normal’ life to continue. Dr Matt Unthank, project lead and Associate Professor in Polymer Chemistry, said: “Having the ability and insight to design multifunctional coating systems that can create long lasting defence against viruses, whilst also being compatible with everyday life, is challenging yet important. “It’s not just about destroying viruses in the laboratory. New coating systems and surface treatments need to be robustness, easy to clean, universal in their application, safe and low cost. Our research seeks to explore these interdependencies and to develop new antiviral coating systems for the current and future pandemics.” Routes to antiviral surfaces Disinfecting methods such as chemical, bleach or alcohol-based products actively destroy, or deactivate, microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses on contact. However, this approach requires constant retreatment of the surfaces with disinfecting agent which can be labour intensive and impractical. An alternative approach is to create a permanent or semi-permanent surface that destroys virus particles on contact, known as an ‘antiviral’ surface. These fall into two major categories: 1) those that slowly leach virucidal chemicals from a coated surface into the environment resulting in an antiviral effect, known as ‘controlled release’ biocidal or virucidal coatings. 2) those that have a surface that is permanently capable of destroying microorganisms, such as coronavirus and are known as ‘contact biocidal’ or ‘contact virucidal’ coating Ian Shortman, technical partner and Senior Scientist at Dstl, said: “This work aims to develop transparent coatings which are both biocidal and water repellent. The approaches being adopted could provide a wide range of benefits, and be easily applied to a range of surfaces such as textiles and plastics.” Andrew Caldwell, Head of DASA, said: “Congratulations to Northumbria University, we look forward to seeing the progress of this important and exciting project. “This work is a great example of how DASA working with others finds, funds and helps accelerate the development of important innovations that help keep us all safe.” Dr Matt Unthank and his team are focussing on developing new multifunctional contact biocidal and virucidal coatings, which are safe, do not release chemicals to the environment and are user friendly and universal in their application. One disadvantage of all biocidal and virucidal coatings is that surface contamination by dust, debris and dirt can disable its antiviral capabilities overtime. An ideal coating system would be both potent in its antimicrobial properties but also easy-clean or even self-cleaning in nature. This concept is the inspiration for the low friction, or ‘superhydrophobic’ qualities of the coatings under development by researchers at Northumbria University – a vision that sets it apart from existing antiviral coating technologies.