Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the first National Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day in recognition of its dedicated Estates and Facilities workforce.
The Estates and Facilities division is made up of over 1,500 staff – around 11% of the workforce - across Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals, as well as the Trust’s satellite sites, including the Specialist Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre (SRMC) and Broadoaks Child Development Centre (CDC).
The day was created following a decision by professional associations representing NHS Estates and Facilities staff across the UK to jointly create a national day to celebrate the essential work of the profession.
Across Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, there are 15 areas that make up the Estates and Facilities division including: cleaning, catering, decontamination, linen services, portering, security, engineering and grounds maintenance, rapid response, transport, waste management, residential, capital, general office, and administration services.
In the last year, the medical engineering department across the Trust has maintained the use of more than 22,000 medical devices; porters have completed on average 244,057 tasks; linen services were responsible for more than 4m pieces of linen, the general office team answered on average six hundred calls per week from members of the public, and the catering department produced around 985,000 meals.
To recognise and celebrate the important work that Estates and Facilities staff provide to ensure the delivery of safe and effective health and care services to patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria, members of the Trust’s Board of Directors and Governors have been spending time shadowing several areas of the division and helping staff by getting involved in the day-to-day tasks.
The Trust’s Chief Executive, Kevin McGee, who spent the morning with the Trust’s portering team said: “It’s fantastic to see the introduction of an annual national day of recognition for Estates and Facilities staff working across health and care services.
“I’m proud that Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is celebrating the important work of our own dedicated Estates and Facilities division who contribute to the delivery of effective, safe, and quality health care to our patients, and I’m very proud of the work that they do daily to ensure of this.”
David Hounslea, Director of Estates and Facilities at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “From looking after our buildings and grounds, to delivering patient services, our Estates and Facilities staff are vital part of our NHS.
“I am incredibly proud of the work of our colleagues do to ensure the running of our services to care for patients, and it’s great to have a national day that celebrates this work.”
