Join your colleagues within your Trust or Health Board and the wider healthcare community around the UK to celebrate National Healthcare Estates & Facilities Day, which will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. This will be the third year that this awareness day has showcased and recognised the essential work done by all estates and facilities professions in the delivery of health and social care to people across all four nations of the UK.
The Joint Associations Group[1] representing the majority of estates and facilities services within healthcare across the UK has been meeting regularly to co-ordinate the 2024 event, which everyone hopes will be even bigger and better than the previous two years.
In 2023, there were 563 registrations from healthcare organisations, contractors and social care teams (up from 538 in 2022) all keen to take part in the day, reaching 287,000 staff (up from 250,000 in 2022). That’s a fantastic engagement rate. The Joint Association Group encourages everyone to get involved again this year, ensuring the event continues to grow, and that Trusts and Health Boards are able to celebrate the wide variety of skills and knowledge within E&F teams - from porters to cleaners, reception staff to caterers, project teams to security and more - who keep healthcare buildings operational, day-in day-out, and able to provide the very best patient care. Plan your activities[2] and share them across social media platforms, to help create a buzz around the day.
The 2024 National Healthcare Estates & Facilities Day will be the perfect occasion for every NHS, social care and independent healthcare organisation to celebrate the work of their estates and facilities professions, raise the profile of these staff groups for the hugely rewarding career opportunities that they offer, and reflect on the achievements and sacrifices made by people in these roles on a daily basis.
To help organisations to plan activities for the day, a download kit will be made available via the website. Please register at www.healthcareEFMDay.org. A new promotional video will be released in the next few days.
[1] Members of the Joint Associations Group are:
Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (ahcp)
Health Estates & Facilities Management Association (HEFMA)
Hospital Caterers Association (HCA)
Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSC)
Institute of Healthcare Engineering & Estate Management (IHEEM)
National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers (NAHFO)
Society of Hospital Linen Service and Laundry Managers (SHLSLM)
[2] Activities in previous years have included:
• Internal awards
• Thank you mugs given to all staff
• Commemorative plaque in staff break areas
• Cream teas
• Personal messages of thanks from Trust CEOs and Chairs to their E&F workforce
• Sharing infographics and posters to highlight the many ways E&F staff keep healthcare services running smoothly and safely
• Spotlights on individual team members sharing their career stories, what their roles involve and what they enjoy
• Sharing posters and other personal messages of thank you and appreciation
• Visits to E&F teams and individuals from CEOs, COOs and other senior managers to show their support and express their thanks
• Demonstrations and displays to explain the roles of E&F
• Delivering decorated cupcakes, thank you cards and badges
• Sharing photos of E&F teams and individuals in their work environments
• Schools visits
• Cinema shows
• Energy centre tours
• Staff team breakfasts
• Prize draws, raffles and competitions
• Sending senior management teams ‘back to the floor’ to work side-by-side with E&F staff, or serve staff
• Food tastings and service demonstrations
• Videos of E&F team members explaining their work
• Cooking and baking competitions
• Lighting up the outside of the hospital building
• Delivering baskets of fruit and sweets.
For more information about National Healthcare Estates & Facilities Day, please visit the website: www.healthcareEFMDay.org
