Below are this week’s key messages from the national NHS Estates & Facilities Team. Please email any questions or comments you have on any of these items to [email protected] or follow the links where provided.
Estates and Facilities Online Forum, Tuesday, March 16
The agenda and registration arrangements for this exciting event have now been launched. Speakers on the day include; Edward Argar MP (Minister of State for Health), Prerana Issar, Sandra Easton, Simon Corben, Fiona Daly, Adrian Eggleton and Craig McWilliam. It is great to see the high level of interest in the forum and the number of registrations to date.
Click here to see the full agenda
Please note that all of the sessions will be available ‘on demand’ following the event. As well as being free to attend, the forum has also been CPD certified.
We are grateful for the questions which have been submitted so far in relation to the minister’s session. Edward Argar MP is keen to answer as many questions as possible on the day and will follow up after the event with any others. As you can appreciate, the minister’s diary is extremely busy so it will not be possible for this session to overrun. It would be helpful for further questions to be posted to [email protected] by close on Monday, March 8 (marking for the attention of Tom McHugh and Sophie Shemwell).
Expert Hospital Food Panel - your opportunity to get involved
NHS England and NHS Improvement is looking for a group of dynamic individuals with a real passion for food to support the delivery of excellent patient care. Following publication of the Secretary of State’s Independent Hospital Food Review in 2020 it was announced that an expert panel would be created to progress and monitor the recommendations of the review.
There are nine places on the panel which include the roles of chef, catering manager, clinician, nurse and dietary expert. The opportunity is open to staff at all levels and the project will run for two years.
Expressions of interest should be sent to [email protected] marked clearly for the attention of Emma Brookes & Phil Shelley. These should be received no later than 5pm on Friday, March 26, 2021.
COVID-19: General Update and the National Vaccination Programme
We would like to thank you for your engagement with the weekly surveys to date. The responses are really important in helping NHS England and NHS Improvement as an organisation to shape how we engage with our healthcare workforce.
A link to this week’s survey is below and again we would be grateful for your responses – the survey will take less than five minutes to complete.
While we are continuing to see an improving situation, it remains as important as ever for those healthcare workers who work tirelessly to ensure the safety of patients, to remain safe themselves. This is especially applicable to the estates and facilities profession. Please continue to make use of the resource materials which are available for estates and facilities teams to encourage staff vaccination take-up. These can be accessed from the Collaboration Hub.
National Webinar: Backlog Maintenance and ERIC
A national webinar on Backlog Maintenance and ERIC reporting has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 24 at 11:30am.
Invitations have already been sent to estates and facilities directors/teams. However, if you would like further information or to request an invitation then please e-mail [email protected] marking for the attention of Linda Hood.
Virtual Contract Management Network Event
The DHSC Commercial Capability and Supplier Management Team is holding a Virtual Contract Management Network Event. It will feature talks on the latest commercial activities in the health family, provide commercial updates, learning and help build a network of contract managers.
This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone involved in contract management to better understand the commercial skills and capabilities that are available across the health family. This invitation is extended to estates and facilities teams. It would be great for local NHS teams to be well represented at this event.
The virtual event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 31, from 1pm to 4pm. If you are interested please keep this time free and contact [email protected] for further information, or to request inclusion on the invitation list.
Procurement Partners/Catering Procurement
We are aware that a number of NHS Trusts have been approached by Procurement Partners, requesting data and asking for Trusts to sign up to a procurement framework. There are a number of procurement solutions for NHS caterers to choose from and there is generally freedom for NHS Trusts to make their own decisions on national and local frameworks.
A letter has been communicated which was written by the Chair of the food review with an alignment to Procurement Partners. This organisation is not aligned with the national procurement model, and in retrospect, it is acknowledged that the Chair of the food review should remain impartial so that NHS caterers can make their own choices as set out above.
NHS England and NHS Improvement National Estates Team: Collaboration Hub
The Collaboration Hub is a protected space for local NHS estates teams to access key information as well as to collaborate and to share ideas and successes. Access to the Collaboration Hub for individuals from local NHS estates teams can be arranged by e-mailing [email protected]
Thank You
Our thanks to all of those working in estates and facilities for all that you do in maintaining the NHS estate, facilitating patient care as well as supporting the response to the current pandemic. The service could not function without you.
