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.
Jacqui Rock: Chief Commercial Officer
We are delighted to welcome our new NHS Chief Commercial Officer, Jacqui Rock, who joined NHS England and NHS Improvement in January. Jacqui joins us from the UK Health Security Agency where she was the driving force behind innovation and technology development in the supply chain. Before that she was the Commercial Director for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation which included responsibility for the Ministry of Defence estate. Jacqui is also a member of the Cabinet Office Commercial Function.
Jacqui will be joining us at our Forum event on March 16 where you will be able to hear direct about her strong focus and commitment to estates and facilities management. Please do save the date in your diaries and look out for the registration details coming very soon.
Update on Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) for all UK Healthcare Workers
The Government passed legislation requiring vaccination as a condition of deployment for many healthcare workers which was due to come in from April 1, 2022. Last week the Secretary of State announced that this is being reconsidered. The Government’s decision is subject to further consultation and Parliamentary process. NHS England and NHS Improvement has written to the system providing an update on the vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for all healthcare workers.
Return to Plan A: Infection Prevention and Control Guidance
As England fully returned to Plan A on Thursday January 27, please be aware that the current infection prevention control guidelines remain in place across all healthcare settings. This includes the recommendation for universal face mask use for staff and face masks/coverings for all patients/visitors, and that physical distancing should be at least one metre.
ProCure 22 Specialist Recovery Service Framework
New arrangements on the operation of the ProCure22 VAT Recovery Service have been introduced with effect from January 1, 2022 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.
MyPorter Portering Awards
The shortlist has been announced for the MyPorter Portering Awards, highlighting the quality of portering across six categories including: porter of the year; team of the year; newcomer; leadership; and outstanding contribution to patient experience. Emma Brookes, Head of Soft FM Strategy and Operation, and Phil Shelley, Senior Operational and Policy Manager Soft FM, were both part of the judging panel. The winners will be announced on February 24 at the MyPorter Awards in London.
NHS England and NHS Improvement: National Retention Team (Campaign)
The National Retention Team is looking for case studies of estates and facilities staff to feature in a retention campaign aimed at NHS staff aged over 50. Find out more and get involved.
Trial of Relaunched Edward Jenner Programme
We are running a trial of the relaunched Edward Jenner programme for estates and facilities staff who are moving into their first management/leadership role, starting on March 7, 2022. We are looking for NHS Trusts to nominate staff to be part of the trial and join our Project Group.
Find out more about the programme. Please e-mail: [email protected] to find out more.
NHS Supply Chain: Chef’s Academy – spaces still available
NHS Supply Chain’s free, day-long Chef’s Academies provide NHS chefs with invaluable hands-on training from their experienced team of chefs and dieticians. The sessions are designed to inspire innovation and professional development amongst NHS chefs and catering staff. There are still spaces available for the Exeter event to be held on February 22 at Exeter College. Find out more or register now.
Further dates and venues will be announced later in the year.
Spotlight on one of our housekeeping colleagues
The NHS England LinkedIn account recently shone a light on the experiences of Sylvester, a housekeeper at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He said: “Being a housekeeper gives you the opportunity to deal with the different needs of individuals, and to support your team. You learn a lot - to be passionate, committed, humble and above all confident and courageous.” Thank you to Sylvester and all our housekeeping colleagues who go above and beyond to care for our patients.
National Webinars
Look out for our schedule of estates and facilities National Webinars, which we will be releasing via the NHS Collaboration Hub shortly.
Recordings of the Covid-related webinars from early January, along with the FAQ documents are available from the NHS Collaboration Hub now. Recordings and FAQ documents from other webinars hosted in January will be available from the Hub in the near future.
NHS Estates and Facilities Team – Monthly Bulletin
The latest edition of the monthly Estates and Facilities bulletin was issued on February 4. 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 collaborate and 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.
