Overview of membership grades

Membership is available to anyone having an interest in Specialist Ventilation in Healthcare.  There will be three classes of membership, Full (AE), Full (but not practicing AE(V)’s) and Associate Members.

Full (AE) Members will be certified Authorised Engineers (Ventilation), having been assessed and peer reviewed in accordance with the agreed SVHSoc registration process.  Full Members who are not practicing AE(V)’s will have the same rights as Full (AE) Members but will not actively practice as AE(V)’s. Only Full Members of the Society are eligible to vote on issues affecting the Society.

Alternatively and at the absolute discretion of the majority of the Executive Committee, an Associate Member who is considered to have made a significant contribution to the field of Healthcare Ventilation but who does not wish to become a registered AE(V) may be invited to become a Full Member of the Society.

Full Members may nominate individuals to become Associate Members of the Society.  It is intended that those accepted as Associate Members will be practicing Authorised Persons (Ventilation) or others with specialist interest and knowledge of healthcare ventilation systems and the associated specialisms who wish to maintain professional development, participate or contribute to the development and improvement of existing standards, aim to become AE(V)’s or simply to support the professional network of those in the field.  Each nominated Associate Member will receive Society correspondence.  The Executive Committee and Full Members will assess and determine the status of all those who express an interest in associate membership on merit.

Fee Structure

A Nominal fee is charged for membership of the society with the intent to cover the operational costs of the society. All fees will only be used for the administration and promotion of the society with no profits taken by any individual or member.

The current agreed fee schedule is as follows;

Full (AE) Member         £100.00 per annum

Full Member (non AE)   £100.00 per annum

Associate Member        £ 50.00 per annum

All fees are payable by 1^st January each year with notification for payment issued at the Society’s AGM in October each year.

 

 

Registration Process and Competency Requirements for membership of the Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Society (SVHSoc)

Introduction

The Policies and Principles section of Health Technical Memorandum 00, Best Practice Guidance for Healthcare Engineering, describes the structure and the core suite of nine subject areas for guidance. HTM 03 sets out guidance for the design, management and operation of ventilation systems.

Chapter 2 of HTM 00 summarises the professional support and management structures required to implement the HTMs for the role of Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) (AE(V)).

The Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Society (SVHSoc) maintains a register of Authorising Engineers (Ventilation). The responsibility for maintaining the register within the SVHSoc is through the AE(V) Panel, which is described in the Terms of Reference for that Group, and agreed by the SVHSoc membership.

The SVHSoc is responsible for the publication of an AE(V) Code of Conduct, the investigation of complaints, the endorsement of appropriate training courses, registration of new AE(V)s, periodic re-registration of AE(V)s and general management of the register.

This document outlines the registration matters of AE(V), new entrants to the scheme and re-registration procedures for those already registered. The registration procedure will be transparent and controlled.

Acceptance onto the register will be undertaken by successful completion of an application form together with a Practice Report, and a Professional Peer Review, whereby a satisfactory level of professional competence including work experience and CPD will be assessed.

AE(V) Registration Competency Standards

All existing and proposed members of the SVHSoc are required to demonstrate by means of a Practice Report and Professional Peer Interview the following:

1. A sound basic knowledge of the design, installation and operation of HVAC and BMS/Controls systems and equipment relevant to SVH.
2. Attendance at an accredited Authorised Person Ventilation course before applying for membership of SVHSoc.
3. Attendance at an accredited Authorising Engineer course before applying for full membership of SVHSoc.
4. Interpersonal skills e.g those needed for carrying out Annual Audits and AP Assessments in a professional but productive manner which promotes good working relationships and assists in minimising/resolving conflict between any parties.
5. Theoretical and practical knowledge on the introduction and use of new and developing technologies which can or might be applied to SVHSoc in terms of operational aspects and for new projects.
6. Experience in the field of research or system development relevant to SVHSoc.
7. Experience in one of the following: the design; installation; or commissioning / validation of HVAC and BMS/Controls systems or equipment relevant to SVHSoc.
8. Experience in the operation of HVAC and BMS/Controls systems and equipment relevant to SVHSoc.
9. Experience in the overseeing, monitoring, provision of advice and proactive commenting on the implementation of design/operational solutions, of HVAC and BMS/Controls systems and equipment relevant to SVH and the evaluation of their effectiveness.
10. Experience in carrying out Authorised Person (AP) Assessments, Preparation of Annual Audit Reports with action plans for recommended improvements and further training needs of APs on HVAC and BMS/Controls systems and equipment relevant to SVHSoc.
11. Experience in the follow up monitoring of Action Plan implementation by the DP, SOM and APs and the chairing of regular meetings and issuing of update progress reports and notes to the DP, SOM and APs with a list of outstanding actions.

Items 1 to 4 are mandatory requirements of the remaining 7 a minimum of 4 must be able to be appropriately evidenced and demonstrated.

An AE(V) Application Submission MUST be able to demonstrate;

• Extensive experience in report writing on topics relevant to SVHSoc (e.g. Audit reports, peer reviews, or comments on design or operational proposals’).
• Ability to provide independent advice.
• Submit a Practice Report of approximately 2000 words + appendices outlining the experience and type of work carried out. The Practice Report should address the criteria above.
• Submit a separate CPD log.
• Agree by signature to adhere to AE(V) Code of Conduct.
• Agree by signature to be independent and impartial.

The Registration Panel of the SVHSoc can recommend further actions regarding education and training as deemed necessary before the applicant is accepted onto the register. These recommendations could be in the form of mentoring by an existing AE(V), or gaining further experience at management level in the healthcare ventilation field.

Key Elements to be included within the Practice Report

• A systematic understanding of key aspects of their field of study, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline.
• An ability to deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within a discipline.
• The ability to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of a discipline.
• The ability to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in the discipline.
• An appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge
• The ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).
• The ability to apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to permit projects to be initiated and
• The ability to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution – or identify a range of solutions – to a problem
• The ability to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• The ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility.
• The ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable contexts.
• The ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

CPD objectives for AEs(V)

All AEs(V) should have a clear understanding of current strategies and techniques in healthcare ventilation systems and an appreciation of how and when to apply them in practice. This will include the ability to make judgements about the areas of ventilation systems in their designated field and take responsibility for their decisions and actions.

Documentary evidence or a CPD log showing a minimum of 30 hours of CPD annually.

CPD may consist of the following categories:

• Monitoring and coaching of individuals working with healthcare ventilation.
• Knowledge of current legislation, practices and technology.
• Management and Communication, personal skill development.
• Keeping updated on knowledge and skills through Seminars and appropriate courses.
• Supplementary work and duties, private study, reading and committee work.

The following activities are a guide to what can be classified as CPD, but are not exhaustive:

• Professional institute technical meetings.
• Professional institute Regional or Group meetings.
• Professional institutional committee work.
• Private reading and study.
• Reading or writing of papers, articles and professional Journals.
• Occasional lecturing.
• Academic studies including vocational qualifications.
• Undertaking relevant courses.
• Giving or receiving Mentoring.

Re-registration of AE(V)’s

All registrants will be reviewed by the registration panel every three years.

The registrar will inform each registrant at least four months prior to the review date to request the re-registration documentation.

Each registrant must submit to the AE(V) panel registration sub-group the following:

• Documentary evidence or a CPD log showing a minimum of 30 hours of CPD annually.
• A written professional review of the registrant’s activity summarising the period since last registration. The review should be approximately 1000 words.
• Collectively, these documents should adequately demonstrate:
  • awareness and application of current healthcare ventilation standards and practices.
  • On-going development of knowledge and skills.
  • Routine decision making and accountability in the field of healthcare ventilation.

It will be at the discretion of the registration panel to call the registrant to an interview if the documents submitted for re-registration do not meet the criteria outlined above.

Professional Review – AE(V) Registration

Procedure

Registration will be conducted by the AE(V) Panel and will take the form of a Professional Review consisting of:

• Scrutiny of the Application Form.
• Scrutiny of the submission by the applicant of a written Practice Report of 2000 words + appendices, outlining the experience and type of work carried out.
• Scrutiny of the applicant’s CPD log.
• Interview by the Panel.
• Confirmation of completion of a recognised course for AP (Ventilation) and the HTM 00 AE Foundation Course. (Note refresher training will be required upon revisions or updates to the HTM or similar standards to maintain current knowledge and skills base).

The Interview

The review will be treated as confidential by the SVHSoc and the interviewers. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain from their employer any clearance required under the Official Secrets Act or any other restriction placed on you by the employer. Whilst the Act and the need for commercial confidence will be respected by the interviewers, the interview panel will probe sufficiently to obtain satisfactory answers to demonstrate a general and specialist knowledge of healthcare ventilation operational and safety matters.

Although time constraints will not allow the interviewers to visit all topics the interview will be based on some of the following:

• Exercising impartial technical judgement at an appropriate level. What are the applicant’s precise current or most recent responsibilities?
• Understanding of, and involvement in, financial and commercial considerations.
• Keeping abreast of changing technology, standards and legislation.
• Demonstrating an awareness of processes other than the applicant’s areas of specialisation (for example control of design, installation, validation or operation).
• Discussion of a recent project or piece of work in which the applicant was personally involved. This could be accompanied by brief and limited documentation.
• The applicant’s communication skills.

The Professional interview will commence with the applicant making a short (10 minute) presentation on the key aspects of the role and responsibilities of an AE(V) followed by the professional review interview.

The interview panel will consist of a minimum of 2 but ideally 3 existing registered AEs(V).