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.
Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC)
The 2021/22 ERIC is now open.
We appreciate and value the hard work which you and your teams put into completing this collection.
The Backlog Maintenance data needs to be submitted by April 29, 2022 to enable the enhanced audit to begin. The remainder of the ERIC collection will remain open until July 1, 2022.
Please contact [email protected] in the event of any queries regarding this year’s collection.
NHS Chef 2022 open for entries
Applications are now invited from chefs working in the NHS (whether employed directly by the NHS or a third party) to enter NHS Chef 2022. This exciting competition returns for a second year. The 2021 competition was won by representatives from East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, following a series of regional heats and mentoring from some top chefs. Please see the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub for details of the entry process, application forms and the terms and conditions. Applications need to be sent to [email protected] by Friday, May 31, 2022.
Compressed Medical Oxygen Manifold Upgrade
As part of a drive towards increased resilience and capacity, BOC Healthcare has introduced a new high-pressure cylinder for use on medical oxygen manifold systems, which can hold 66% more oxygen. Directors of Estates and Facilities are encouraged to discuss their requirements with their MGPS contractor and BOC account manager. Please see the following link to the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub for more information: public health section in Hard FM.
A national webinar on this upgrade programme has been scheduled for April 28 at 3pm. Directors of Estates and Facilities have already been e-mailed with the joining instructions (including the webinar link). This will be an opportunity to outline the key changes being introduced.
If you have not seen this e-mail and are interested in attending then please e-mail: [email protected].
National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness
The new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness were published in April 2021.
The deadline for compliance is 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.
Living with Covid: Staff Testing Update
Following Government announcements on Living with Covid, NHS England has written to NHS leaders to set out our approach to delivering the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) advice in relation to staff and patient testing. It confirms that from April 1, asymptomatic patient facing staff should continue to test twice weekly using Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs). Symptomatic NHS staff should test themselves using LFDs. LFD tests will continue to be available through the gov.uk portal for NHS staff in England. Read the full letter here.
Changes to free hospital car parking
The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed that from April 1, 2022 car parking provided for free during the pandemic will come to an end. Under the updated guidance, NHS staff working overnight will still be able to access free hospital car parking as part of the Government’s commitment to providing this for in-need groups. Read the written ministerial statement and the latest car parking guidance for NHS Trusts.
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.
Local Elections – Purdah
We are now in the pre-election period (Purdah). As a result there will be restrictions in communications activity across NHS England and NHS Improvement in common with other Government Departments and ALBs.
During this time specific restrictions are placed on the use of public resources and the communication activities of public bodies, civil servants and local government officials. The Purdah period may mean that planned announcements are delayed to accommodate this pre-election period.
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:
Forthcoming Webinars
The following webinars have been scheduled for the week commencing April 25:
• Net Zero Delivery Groups – The Estates Sustainability team is establishing delivery groups for energy together with waste and resources management lead officers across the regions. This is to help guide and accelerate the implementation of the NHS Estates Net Zero Carbon Delivery Plan, supporting the work of the National NHS Estates and Facilities Team – Wednesday, April 27 at 2pm.
• The Apprenticeship Challenge – The National Estates and Facilities Team, in partnership with colleagues from Health England, will update on the Apprenticeship Challenge. This will include the information and other resources which will be available – Thursday, April 28 at 11am.
Details of all these webinars including the joining instructions have already been shared with all listed Directors of Estates and Facilities. If you have not yet seen details of these sessions and are interested in attending then please e-mail: [email protected]
Please also note the following dates in your diaries:
• May 26 - NHS Estates Strategies (rescheduled)
• June 30 - NHS Estates and Facilities Resilience (rescheduled)
• July 28 - Fire Safety
• September 29 - Digital Estate
• November 24 - The Great Food Good Health Programme, including NHS Chef 2022.
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. All of the sessions outlined above will take place from 11am until 12:30pm.
NHS Estates and Facilities Team - Monthly Bulletin
The next edition of the monthly Estates and Facilities bulletin is due to be issued in the week commencing May 2. The bulletin 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.
