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.
Welcome back after the Christmas and New Year period. We hope that you were able to take some time to rest and refresh despite the continuing pressures over the last few weeks.
Vaccination as a condition of deployment for healthcare workers guidance
NHS England and NHS Improvement has very recently written to the system and shared guidance to support providers in vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for healthcare workers.
The guidance states that the VCOD requirements: “includes front-line workers, as well as non-clinical workers not directly involved in patient care but who may have face to face contact with patients, including ancillary staff such as porters, cleaners or receptionists.”
It is for individual employers to review this guidance and to reach a decision on who is in scope and to evidence these decisions to the CQC.
COVID-19 webinars and guidance
Thanks to those colleagues from the profession who attended the national webinars which took place from January 10-13. The recordings and supporting materials can now be accessed from the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Changes to COVID-19 self-isolation guidance
As of Monday, January 17, people with COVID-19 are now able to leave self-isolation after five full days. They must test negative via lateral flow devices on both day five and day six and cannot leave isolation if they have a temperature. NHS England and NHS Improvement has written to update health colleagues in light of these changes announced by the UKHSA.
IPC guidance remains in healthcare settings
Following the Government announcement that from next Thursday (January 27) face coverings will no longer be mandatory in public places, we want to remind colleagues that the UK Health Security Agency's infection prevention control (IPC) guidance remains in place for all staff and patients to ensure that everyone is protected. Please continue to encourage patients to wear a face covering to keep staff and other patients safe.
ProCure22 Specialist VAT Recovery Service Framework
New arrangements on the operation of the ProCure22 VAT Recovery Service have been introduced with effect from January 1, 2022. This is due to the upcoming expiry of the P22 Framework. This change only relates to the provision of the P22 VAT Recovery Service and not the provision of any other VAT advice which NHS organisations might request. Further information on the revised arrangements can be found on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
National Estates and Facilities Team - Second Annual Forum: SAVE THE DATE
Our second annual Estates and Facilities Forum will be taking place online on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Please save the date in your diaries. We expect to issue the programme for the day in the very near future along with the registration details.
Request for information - bed capacity
Our thanks to estates and facilities teams for their help in compiling information around any available non-clinical space that could be converted within a limited timeframe to a 24-bed ward to help support the continued response to Covid. We appreciate the volume of requests which have been made recently along with the very short timescales. We do value your help and support.
National Apprenticeship Week - request for case studies
The 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships will be taking place from February 7-13, 2022. Health Education England (HEE) is collating case studies for National Apprenticeship Week to showcase and celebrate the fantastic achievements of all of our apprentices. We would love to hear from apprentices, employers and apprenticeship providers working in NHS estates and facilities. A range of templates have been provided to help support this, and will be circulated to HEFMA members. Please complete the appropriate template and send to: [email protected] by January 31.
NHS Estates and Facilities Team - Monthly Bulletin
The latest edition of the monthly Estates and Facilities bulletin was issued on December 6. This provides updates directly from NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Estates and Facilities Team including the latest guidance, health technical memoranda and policy developments affecting your work, as well as celebrating the successes of the wider E&F community. NHS staff can register to receive future editions of the newsletter.
NHS England and NHS Improvement National Estates Team: Collaboration Hub
The Collaboration Hub is a protected space for local NHS estates and facilities 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]
We have been arranging masterclasses to help registered members understand and navigate the Hub more effectively. If you are interested in attending one of these sessions then please e-mail the above mailbox.
If your e-mail address has changed over the past year (perhaps to .nhs.net), or you have moved to another NHS Trust then please e-mail us with the details ([email protected]) so that we can update our records.
You can also follow our latest news and updates on the NHS Estates and Facilities LinkedIn page.
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 and supporting the ongoing response to Covid and the National Vaccination Programme.
