NHS Premises Assurance Model - update
The updated NHS PAM was published on August 1, 2022 and can be accessed here.
Usage of the full NHS PAM is mandatory as set out in the NHS Standard Contract Service Conditions. The NHS PAM is completed through an online system. The deadline for its completion for 2021-22 is September 9, 2022.
We will also be scheduling a number of national webinars in the near future to support use of the NHS PAM. The first of these will take place on August 22. The invitations for these will be sent direct to registered PAM users, and all scheduled dates will be advertised on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC)
The validation process for the 2021/22 data is underway. Colleagues from NHS Digital will be contacting ERIC leads at those NHS Trusts where there are queries about aspects of the data which has been submitted. Please ensure that if NHS Digital contacts your organisation, you review the information as requested and respond in a timely manner. This is extremely important in order to support the process for publication.
Workforce: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
The equality and inclusion team at NHS England is developing a workforce equality, diversity and inclusion strategy which aims to address existing disparities across the NHS workforce.
In the coming months, NHS England will be engaging with stakeholders, NHS employing organisations, professional groups and the workforce to ensure everyone has a voice in the changes and improvements we seek.
We are especially keen for the voice of the estates and facilities workforce to be heard and are looking for five colleagues to join the strategy working group. Further details on this, including how to get more involved can be found in the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
If you, your colleagues or members of your networks would be interested in taking part, or would like to find out more information then please e-mail: [email protected]
Procuring Capital Works through ProCure
June 30 marked the end of the ProCure22 framework. From July 1, all new capital works should be directed through ProCure23. All contracts in place via ProCure22 will continue to deliver their works, supported by the national team.
Through ProCure22, we have delivered £3.4bn worth of capital projects for the NHS, increasing capacity, and delivering modern facilities to meet the needs of patients and clinicians today.
ProCure23 will build on the legacy of ProCure22 and its predecessors, whilst ensuring that NHS capital works adopt the principles of the government’s Construction Playbook, embrace modern construction delivery and focus on sustainability and social value. Find out more about ProCure23.
Construction inflation advice for estates and facilities teams
Guidance to assist NHS Trusts to identify, plan for, and mitigate cost inflation during the project business case process and contracting is available on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub within the Capital and Commercial area. Any queries on the document should be sent to: [email protected] marked for the attention of the capital and commercial team.
Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme - Phase 3b
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Salix have recently launched Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This scheme provides grants for public sector bodies (including NHS Trusts) to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
Reducing emissions from the NHS estate will be vital in achieving the NHS's commitment to reach net zero. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme plays an important role in supporting this, with NHS Trusts recently securing £329m of funding through Phase 3a of the scheme.
This latest phase will result in allocations of up to £635m grant funding to public sector organisations, to be spent in financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25, across single and multi-year projects.
You can find full background details, including how to apply and a webinar recording etc on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
NHS Chef 2022
Good luck to all those chefs who will be taking be taking part in the regional heats during August and September. We are really looking forward to seeing the chefs concerned demonstrating their skills and helping to raise the bar even further for NHS catering. Our thanks to all those estates and facilities teams who are supporting their colleagues on this journey. We must also thank our FM providers and suppliers for their fantastic support and whose help continues to be essential.
Get ready for the National PLACE Programme
We are preparing for the national PLACE programme to begin again from September, following two years where it was suspended due to the pandemic. We ran two national webinars recently which provided an overview of PLACE, useful information about the process and timetable, and a demonstration of PLACE mobile. If you missed these, or want to watch again, recordings of the webinars can be viewed on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
E&F Workforce Action Plan and National Webinar
This plan sets out what we at NHS England are going to do to meet the ambitions of the NHS People Plan and NHS People Promise for estates and facilities staff across the country over the next 10 years. Read the Plan. Our thanks to those colleagues who attended the national webinar on July 20. If you missed the webinar, or want to watch again, the recording and supporting slides can be viewed on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Fire Safety Concordat
NHS England and the National Fire Chiefs Council have agreed a framework for future working. The Fire Safety Concordat aims to establish a close and harmonious working relationship that will ultimately improve fire safety measures in healthcare premises and safeguard the welfare of patients, visitors and staff. You can access the Fire Safety Concordat via the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub
We are hosting a national webinar on August 25 where you will have the opportunity to learn some more about the Concordat. The webinar link and joining instructions will be sent out to all listed estates and facilities contacts in the very near future.
Boost the Green Credentials of your Leased Estate
Making our NHS buildings and estates greener will make a significant contribution to achieving our ambitious net zero targets. NHS England has published a new Green Leases Framework to help NHS organisations to improve the green credentials of their leased estate, whether they are tenants or landlords. The guide comprises :
• Memorandum of Understanding: for organisations wishing to engage with their existing landlord to discuss the possibilities of greening their estate.
• Suite of Provisions: this provides a series of green obligations and provisions which can be included in any commercial lease.
• Clauses: a drafted set of clauses which are designed to facilitate more detailed discussions with your organisation’s own property or legal teams.
The framework and supporting documents are available here.
New Flexible Working Toolkits
NHS England has created two flexible working guides, in collaboration with Timewise and the NHS Staff Council: One for individuals and one for line managers.
The guide for individuals will help prepare staff for positive conversations to make requests about flexible working and provide staff with the best chance of agreeing a solution that works for them, their teams and their organisations.
The line manager guide offers support in how to lead a flexible team, helping managers to put structures and processes in place to support and encourage a flexible workplace for all.
We encourage our estates and facilities workforce to fully embrace these new resources and for staff to discuss flexible working needs with their line manager. For more information please contact the flexible working team at: [email protected].
Estates and Facilities Apprenticeships - Snapshot
As part of the Apprenticeships Challenge, we are raising the profile of current estates and facilities apprenticeship vacancies. If you would like your NHS EFM apprenticeship adverts to be featured in the future month’s vacancy snapshot please submit your details at the vacancy portal.
In addition, there are now some new EFM careers and apprenticeship resources live on the Skills for Health website. These include materials which can be printed and taken to careers and engagement events.
Senior Responsible Officer Training
The Government Commercial College is providing Senior Responsible Officer training for free until March 23. The training is promoted to all NHS Trusts with PFIs or with outsourced FM services. Please register at Government Commercial College: Log in to the site (govcommercialcollege.co.uk)
Other promotional details for the training can be found on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Crown Commercial Services (CCS) - CPD opportunity
CCS is looking for evaluators to assist with the overall evaluation of bidders’ responses for the new Offsite Construction Solutions (RM6184) Framework. This is due to go live in April 2023 and will replace the current Modular Building Solutions Framework (RM6014).
The ITT is scheduled to go live on August 25, 2022. CCS envisages that the commercial agreement will be of interest to a wide range of NHS Trusts that anticipate both capital and temporary works. This is on the basis that it will provide scope for a wide berth of building types such as; ward space, clinical and non-clinical, waiting areas, as well as temporary space for decant purposes whilst other major works may be taking place. By taking part in this exercise, individuals will actively be contributing to the short, medium and long-term delivery of prefabricated building space across the NHS estate.
If you would like to know more please contact Mike Kennedy-Gill at CCS at: [email protected]. Further information is also available on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Healthy Futures Action Fund - closing soon
The application window for the new Healthier Futures Action Fund from the Greener NHS closes on August 19. The fund aims to support individuals and teams within NHS organisations to kick-start innovative initiatives or ideas that will improve health and patient care, reduce inequalities, and deliver value, while supporting a more sustainable health service.
From reducing waste in all its forms to the introduction of sustainable technologies, from new clinical pathways to active travel and cleaner air initiatives, the Healthier Futures Action Fund aims to support you to develop and roll-out a diverse range of health and care improvement projects, processes, products or pathways.
The fund is open to individuals and teams within the NHS, clinical and non-clinical, for bids with a suggested range of between £3,000-£15,000.
Small steps add up. Find out more and apply for the Healthier Futures Action Fund today, to kick-start your sustainable healthcare initiative for better health now and for future generations.
New Contact 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 in your diaries:
• August 22 - NHS PAM (time to be confirmed)
• August 25 - Latest Updates to the Fire Safety Regulations
• September 29 - Digital Estate
• November 24 - The Great Food Good Health Programme, including NHS Chef 2022.
The webinar links and joining instructions 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.
The recordings of the recent national webinars; NHS E&F Resilience (June 30), National PLACE Programme (July 5 & 13), E&F Workforce Action Plan (July 20) and Hospital Helicopter Landing Sites (August 11) are all available now from the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub.
Walking Aids Return & Reuse Planning Pack
The Walking Aids Return and Reuse Planning pack is now available ahead of Recycle Week, which runs from September 19-25, 2022. It includes a checklist for event preparation, how to track impact, a postcode locator and FAQs. Join our drop-ins which are taking place on September 5. The NHS aims to achieve a 40% return rate of walking aids (walking sticks, crutches, frames) over the next five years, which will save 2,400 tonnes of carbon, equivalent to taking more than 1,000 cars off the road.
NHS Estates and Facilities - Monthly Bulletin
The latest Bulletin was issued on July 20. The bulletin provides updates directly from NHS England’s NHS 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.
We will not be issuing a Bulletin in August - the next edition will be in September.
NHS Estates 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.
