- The Premises & Facilities Management Awards 2016 were held in London last month
- The awards recognise partnerships in facilities management across a variety of sectors
- Vanguard Healthcare and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust were overall winners and picked up the Partners in Healthcare Facilities Award in recognition of innovative use of mobile clinical facilities
- Sunderland Royal Hospital and G4S FM won the Partners In Cleaning – Public Buildings for innovation in cleaning services
A hospital cleaning team and the deployment of mobile clinical facilities were singled out as trailblazers within the estates and facilities sector at the 2016 Premises & Facilities Management Awards (PFM Awards).
Vanguard Healthcare and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust were overall winners at the ceremony, held in central London last month. The team also won the Partners in Healthcare Facilities Award.
The prize recognises the work carried out by the trust and Vanguard to improve capacity issues at the hospital through the use of high-tech mobile theatres that can be installed within days.
The partnership saw Vanguard install mobile operating theatres to maintain activity while the trust’s endoscopy suites were closed for maintenance to achieve JAG accreditation, then separately to clear a backlog of waiting list patients, and a third time to increase medical capacity during the winter months.
Steve Peak, director at Vanguard, said: “I can’t tell you how happy we are that the trust’s innovative approach to capacity solutions has been recognised in what is probably the most-prestigious facilities management awards in the country.
“By thinking outside the box, the trust partnered with us to solve several of the most-major problems NHS organisations face today.”
Mark Cheetham, scheduled care group medical director at the trust, added: “We’re so pleased to have won both in our category and the overall award.
“We’ve worked with Vanguard on three occasions over the last three years and we’ve come to understand how we can work together to solve seemingly-insurmountable problems.
“We’re looking at a major reconfiguration of the hospital over the next few years and one of our big issues is that we’re so tight for clinical space that if we need to do any building work, we have nowhere to decant to, so I’m sure our relationship will continue to prosper into the future.”
At the awards ceremony, Sunderland Royal Hospital and G4S FM were also among the winners, scooping the Partners In Cleaning – Public Buildings title.
Working together with City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust since 2011, G4S FM has made innovative changes to its cleaning service, from engaging with infection control and clinical staff, to a strong focus on training and staff engagement, as well as improving cleaning scheduling across wards.
Helen Moreland, operations director for health at G4S FM, said: “I’m so incredibly proud of the entire team and feel that, professionally, we have set the standard.
“The dedicated team has helped the trust to improve standards and unlock efficiencies, as well as enhance the patient experience.”
For full details of the winners, click here.
The G4S facilities management team at Sunderland Royal Hospital won the Partners In Cleaning – Public Buildings Award at the Premises & Facilities Management Awards 2016