NHS England (NHSE) has confirmed the introduction of a new central register and certification process for authorising engineers (AEs). All AEs advising or working on NHS infrastructure in England will need to obtain Registered Authorising Engineer certification from the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM) and appear on the central IHEEM AE Register. This requirement will be reflected in the new release of HTM 00 which is currently being finalised.
First announced during Healthcare Estates in October 2025, this initiative will provide the AE profession with a single, coherent standard to strengthen governance and patient and public assurance around safety across the NHS Estate. A three-year transition period from the date of announcement (April 15, 2026) aims to give existing practitioners sufficient time to complete the certification process and Trusts time to plan a managed transition across all AE roles. At the end of the transition period, only registered AEs will be eligible for appointment to work on NHS infrastructure.
Single national approach
NHSE says the single national approach will provide stronger and more consistent assurance in technical, high-risk domains. It will offer clearer accountability and evidential confidence when incidents are investigated. Practitioners will benefit from national recognised, professional standing, underpinned by an independent body with appropriate governance. The move will also bring clarity and efficiency for appointing organisations, making verification of competence more reliable and comparable across the system.
Pete Sellars, IHEEM's CEO says: " Working in partnership with NHSE on this agreement, with IHEEM certifying and registering authorising engineers is a fantastic opportunity for our profession to collectively work together to improve patient safety."
