Below are the latest 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.
Second Annual NHS Estates and Facilities Forum
Our thanks to all those who supported the annual forum on March 16, both those who played a part on the agenda as well as all those in attendance. This was again a very well attended event with exciting and engaging discussions throughout the day. Edward Argar MP, Minister of State, with responsibility for NHS estates and facilities again provided the keynote address acknowledging the key role of the profession in supporting delivery of services and patient care. We also heard from Simon Corben as the head of profession as well as Jacqui Rock (Chief Commercial Officer), Ruth May (Chief Nursing Officer) and Morag Stuart (New Hospital Programme).
The workforce session also included Em Wilkinson-Brice, Acting Chief People Officer, who subsequently paid the following warm tribute to the profession in a bulletin to all NHS England and NHS Improvement staff:
“Last week I was delighted to take part in the NHS Estates and Facilities Forum. As well as sharing reflections on my time as director of nursing and facilities at University Hospitals of Derby NHS Foundation Trust, I joined a discussion on how we can continue to grow our talented estates and facilities workforce. I think an important part is positioning it as an exciting, rewarding career choice, and vital to patient care. Where would we be without the multitude of colleagues who make such a valued contribution including caterers, porters, cleaners and maintenance colleagues, all of whom keep our NHS running day to day?”
Covid-19 Guidance: NHS staff, sub-contractors and agency staff
Please see this link for the latest guidance on COVID-19 in relation to NHS staff, sub-contractors and agency staff: The Living with COVID white paper.
Getting Ready for Apprenticeships: Health Education England Employer Webinar
This webinar on April 6, 2022 (1:30-3:30pm) will provide a range of guidance and information in preparing and planning for apprenticeships including:
• Utilising apprenticeships in workforce planning as a tool to develop the workforce and support future workforce supply
• Workforce data and its use in workforce planning
• Developing the Business Case / Investment Proposal for apprenticeships
• Costings and return on investment calculations
• Tools and resources available.
To book a place please use this link. The webinar will be delivered using Microsoft Teams. A joining link will be e-mailed ahead of the event (by April 5).
NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022
Nominations for the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022 close at midnight on April 6.
The NHS Parliamentary Awards provide an excellent opportunity for health and care organisations to engage with their local MPs, tell them about the work they do, and build or strengthen ongoing relationships.
Last year, Joe Sim, an NHS Engineer, won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 58 years’ service with the NHS. He is an Engineer and Energy Monitor at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. The award was presented during a ceremony that was opened by the Prime Minister on July 7, 2021. Joe was nominated by Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North. He was among nine other winners announced during the ceremony.
If you know anyone in your team who might be able to win one of the ten awards available this year, make sure you ask your MP to nominate them.
This pack is intended to support any individual, team or organisation who wishes to request an MP submit a nomination. Make sure to get your nominations to MPs in advance of the April 6 deadline.
National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness
The new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness were published in April 2021:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/estates/.
The deadline for compliance is 4 May 4, 2022 for acute and mental health Trusts. Primary care and care homes are expected to achieve compliance by November 4, 2022. Please look out for further bespoke guidance and tools which will follow.
Hospital helicopter landing strips: national webinar
The recording and slides following the webinar about hospital helicopter landing strips on March 22 are now available from NHS Estates Collaboration Hub (Hard FM/Maintenance area). For NHS staff, if you are not already registered then e-mail: [email protected] to request access.
Public Switched Telephone Network – service closure
The traditional landline telephone network in the UK, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is coming to the end of its life and is gradually being replaced. BT has announced its intention to retire this network by December 2025, with other providers expected to follow a similar timescale. Further information on this is available from the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
NHS Trusts: Estates and Facilities (hard and soft FM contacts)
We are reviewing our central contacts list and are looking to update specific contacts relevant to the hard and soft FM areas. We will be contacting Directors of E&F for these details in the near future. Contact Tom McHugh for further details at: [email protected].
Case Studies
We are currently reviewing all areas of the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub, both the format in some areas as well as the general content. This includes the case studies area. As part of this process we would welcome some additional content. If you have
successfully delivered an estates and facilities related project that could offer fellow E&F teams further insight into best practice and shared learning then we would like to hear from you. If you are interested then please see the Hub for further details and the required template. Alternatively, contact: [email protected], marking for the attention of Joy Heaps and Tom McHugh.
Mailboxes – new e-mail addresses
The e-mail addresses for both the National Estates and Facilities Team and the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub have been updated as follows:
National Webinars
Please note the following dates for your diaries:
• April 28 - Apprenticeship Challenge
• May 26 - NHS Estates Strategies (rescheduled)
• June 30 - NHS Estates and Facilities Resilience (rescheduled).
The joining links will be sent to all listed E&F contacts. NHS staff who would like to attend these sessions can also contact: [email protected] to request an invitation.
NHS Estates and Facilities Team – Monthly Bulletin
The next edition of the monthly Estates and Facilities bulletin is due to be issued in the near future. 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.
