IHEEM, together with our colleagues at HEFMA, are now working closely with NHS England & NHS Improvement to ensure that during these current challenging times all our personal and affiliate members are provided with weekly national updates on the key areas affecting efm healthcare services.
Below are this week’s key messages from the national NHS Estates Team for your information. Please email any questions or comments you have on any of the items below to nhsi.estatesandfacilities@nhs.net or follow the links where provided.
24/02/2021
Estates and Facilities Forum – BOOK NOW, FREE to attend
The agenda and registration arrangements for this exciting event have now been launched. Speakers on the day include; Edward Argar MP (Minister of State for Heath), Prerana Issar, Sandra Easton, Simon Corben, Fiona Daly, Adrian Eggleton and Craig McWilliam.
Click here to see the full agenda
You will need to register for each session individually and it would be helpful if you could confirm the sessions of interest to you as soon as possible. Please note that all sessions will be available “on demand” following the event.
We are really fortunate that Edward Argar MP has been able to commit to this event and he is looking forward to engaging with the estates and facilities profession. However, it will not come as a surprise to learn that his time on the day will be constrained by his other ministerial commitments. It would be appreciated if any questions to him could be posted in advance. If there is insufficient time to answer all of the questions these will be followed up a soon as possible afterwards.
COVID-19: General Update and the National Vaccination Programme
The level of infections and hospital admissions are continuing to move in the right direction and we will hopefully see a return to a more normal way of life over the coming months.
As the estates and facilities profession we must continue to remain safe. In doing so please make use of the resource materials which are available now for use by estates and facilities teams to encourage staff vaccination take-up. These can be accessed from the Collaboration Hub.
As the COVID-19 vaccine roll out to health and social care workers in England continues, please find attached some further communication content for you to share with your colleagues and teams. This includes a quote card from Gilly Lee together with an infographic.
The following might also be useful;
• Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent – encouraging colleagues to get vaccinated when invited
• Dr Farzana Hussain – GP determined to put in personal call to every at-risk patient yet to take up COVID-19 jab offer
• Dr Nikki Kanani – NHS reveals blueprint for tackling BAME vaccine hesitancy
To further support the vaccine rollout to the workforce we are seeking regular feedback to help us understand the current position from your perspective.
We would like to thank you for your engagement with the weekly surveys to date. These responses are pivotal in informing us as to how we can better engage with our healthcare workforce. This will allow us to monitor and improve the impact of our communications to maximise their effectiveness.
A link to this week’s survey is below and again we would be grateful for your responses – the survey will take less than five minutes to complete.
Click here to access the survey
Thank you for your help and support in this area.
Procurement Partners/Catering Procurement
We are aware that a number of NHS trusts have been approached by Procurement Partners, requesting data and asking for trusts to sign up to a procurement framework. There are a number of procurement solutions for NHS caterers and there is generally freedom for NHS trusts to make their own decisions on national and local frameworks.
Procurement Partners have written to NHS trusts aligning themselves to the chair of the food review. This should be ignored as this organisation is not aligned with the national procurement model, nor has the national NHS Estates and Facilities Team been involved in or supported this initiative.
National Webinar: ERIC
A national webinar on ERIC has been scheduled for Friday 26 February at 1pm. This will include an overview of the recently published 2019/20 ERIC, potential changes to the definitions for the 2020/21 ERIC as well as productivity and efficiency, including case studies.
Invitations have already been sent to estates and facilities directors/teams. However, if you would like further information or to request an invitation then please e-mail nhsi.estatesandfacilities@nhs.net marking for the attention of Linda Hood.
Virtual Contract Management Network Event
The DHSC Commercial Capability and Supplier Management Team is holding a Virtual Contract Management Network Event. It will feature talks on the latest commercial activities in the health family, provide commercial updates, learning and help build a network of contract managers.
This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone involved in contract management to better understand the commercial skills and capabilities that are available across the health family. This invitation is extended to estates and facilities teams. It would be great for local NHS teams to be well represented at this event.
The virtual event is scheduled for Wednesday 31 March from 1pm to 4pm. If you are interested please keep this time free and contact amy.dietrich@dhsc.gov.uk for further information, or to request inclusion on the invitation list.
Operational Pressures
Pressures are still being experienced in waste management. Please refer to the previous updates which have been provided (along with the latest standard operating procedure) and help to ensure that all waste is appropriately segregated.
NHS trusts still need to complete the daily waste management survey (Monday – Friday). This is critical to us as it enables the national NHS Estates and Facilities Team to provide system wide assurances to both the DHSC and Civil Contingencies Secretariat. Any queries about the survey, or waste management more generally should be sent to england.wastemanagement@nhs.net
Management of Oxygen Services
We would like to thank estates and facilities teams for your help and support over the past few weeks. Previous updates made reference to the pressure on services. We are grateful to all colleagues for enacting the required actions and taking on board the key messages from the guidance. We are now in a much more stable position as a result of the positive engagement we have seen.
NHS England and NHS Improvement National Estates Team: Collaboration Hub
The Collaboration Hub is a protected space for local NHS estates 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 nhsi.efmportalsubmissions@nhs.net
Thank You
Our thanks to all of those working in estates and facilities for all that you in maintaining the NHS estate, facilitating patient care as well as supporting the response to the current pandemic. The service could not function without you.
17/02/2021
COVID-19: General Update and the National Vaccination Programme
We are seeing positive news in terms of reduced levels of confirmed infections and hospital admissions. The national Vaccination Programme also goes from strength to strength. This is welcome news on both fronts.
However, we must not lose sight of the critical message which we have been sharing over the past few weeks in that estates and facilities teams work hard to ensure that patients remain safe. At the same time we must not lose sight of the need to ensure that our people all remain safe.
We have developed a pack which is available now for use by estates and facilities teams to encourage staff vaccination take-up. Please review and share this information across your teams.
Prerana Issar, NHS Chief People Officer, is also taking a close interest in the health and wellbeing of estates and facilities teams. This applies especially to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines where weekly surveys have been introduced to help monitor and maximise the effect of the communications in place to ensure their effectiveness. These responses from health and care staff are extremely important in helping to inform NHS England and NHS Improvement of current perspective from the front line.
A link to this week’s survey is below and again we would be grateful for your responses – the survey will take less than five minutes to complete.
Estates Forum
This is scheduled for 16 March and good progress is being made with the arrangements which we will be launching soon. We can confirm that the agenda for the day will include Prerana Issar, NHS England and NHS Improvement Chief People Officer, at 10:30am and Edward Argar, Minister of State for Health, at 11:30am. There will also be sessions involving Simon Corben, Sandra Easton, Adrian Eggleton, Craig McWilliam and Fiona Daly. Please hold the date now. The agenda and registration arrangements will be launched imminently.
Health and Care Bill – White Paper
The Health and Care 2021 White Paper has now been published:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-future-of-health-and-care
Estates and facilities services are not specifically mentioned, but capital funding and the NHS Food report are. Further information on the White Paper more generally will be shared on the Collaboration Hub soon.
With regard to hospital food, the White Paper is supportive of the recommendation arising from the Independent Review of NHS Hospital Food in putting hospital food standards on a statutory footing. For the first time this will deliver mandatory minimum standards for the provision of good hydration and nutrition in the NHS. The White Paper also proposes to grant the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care powers to adopt secondary legislation that will implement the national standards for food across the NHS.
NHS England and NHS Improvement – Estates Team Questionnaire
This remains open until Friday 19 February. We have kept the survey as short as possible and can be completed in a matter of minutes. It is really important for us to obtain as much feedback as possible from the estates and facilities community. We will share the outcome and action plan on the Collaboration Hub in due course. The questionnaire can be accessed at the following link;
The NHS Estates and Facilities team thank you in advance for taking the time to help us shape how we best support the profession going forward. If you have not yet completed, please try and find a few minutes to complete in the next couple of days.
Operational Pressures
These remain as previously reported and are outlined below.
Waste Management
The standard operating procedure for waste management was updated and published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on 18 January 2021. This document has been updated to reflect the National Vaccination Programme which is now well underway.
The document can be accessed from the following link;
The key message in this area is to ensure that all waste is appropriately segregated. Further messaging on this issue was shared via the NHS England and NHS Improvement Health and Care Leaders Update bulletin on 27 January 2021.
NHS trusts need to complete the daily waste management survey (Monday – Friday). This is critical to us as it enables the national NHS Estates Team to provide system wide assurances to both the DHSC and Civil Contingencies Secretariat. The informational also enables the team to help and support much earlier in the process as appropriate. Any queries about the daily waste management survey should be sent to england.wastemanagement@nhs.net
Oxygen
We need to ensure that the key messages recently shared previously on the Collaboration Hub regarding the management of oxygen services continue to be enacted by estates teams locally. This will help to manage the current pressures and as ever the members of the National Oxygen Team will be on hand to advise and support as necessary.
Our thanks to the profession for your help and support in this area where we are now seeing a continuing improvement in the situation.
Scrubs
Support is still needed to ensure that scrubs are not being hoarded and returned to the laundry system in a timely manner. It is also important to ensure that scrubs are not disposed of either and that they are returned for laundering. This situation has become more challenging over the past week. We are now seeing genuine issues and problems in the laundry system. Any help and support which estates and facilities teams can provide here will be greatly appreciated.
09/02/2021
COVID-19: National Vaccination Programme
The national Vaccination Programme continues at pace and it is really important for estates and facilities teams at the front line to get vaccinated when invited to do so. Estates and facilities teams work hard to ensure that patients remain safe. We must not lose sight of the need to ensure that our people all remain safe.
There is a wealth of material which is centrally available in relation to the vaccination programme. We have developed a pack which is available now for use by estates and facilities teams to encourage staff vaccination take-up, click here to download a copy.
NHS England and NHS Improvement – Estates Team Questionnaire
This remains open until Friday 19 February. We have kept the survey as short as possible and can be completed in a matter of minutes. It is really important for us to obtain as much feedback as possible from the estates and facilities community. We will share the outcome and action plan on the Collaboration Hub in due course. The questionnaire can be accessed at the following link;
The NHS Estates and Facilities team thank you in advance for taking the time to help us shape how we best support the profession going forward.
Online Estates and Facilities Forum – 16th March
This is scheduled for 16 March and good progress is being made with the arrangements which we will be launching soon. We can confirm that the agenda for the day will include Prerana Issar, NHS England and NHS Improvement Chief People Officer, at 10:30 am and Edward Argar, Minister of State for Health, at 11:30 am. Please hold the date and look out for registration arrangements for the individual sessions.
Operational Pressures
These remain as previously reported and are outlined below.
Waste Management
The standard operating procedure for waste management was updated and published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on 18 January 2021. This document has been updated to reflect the National Vaccination Programme which is now well underway.
The document can be accessed from the following link;
The key message in this area is to ensure that all waste is appropriately segregated. Further messaging on this issue was shared via the NHS England and NHS Improvement Health and Care Leaders Update bulletin on 27 January 2021.
NHS trusts need to complete the daily waste management survey (Monday – Friday). This is critical to us as it enables the national NHS Estates Team to provide system-wide assurances to both the DHSC and Civil Contingencies Secretariat. The informational also enables the team to help and support much earlier in the process as appropriate. Any queries about the daily waste management survey should be sent to england.wastemanagement@nhs.net
Oxygen
We need to ensure that the key messages recently shared previously on the Collaboration Hub regarding the management of oxygen services continue to be enacted by estates teams locally. This will help to manage the current pressures and as ever the members of the National Oxygen Team will be on hand to advise and support as necessary.
Our thanks to the profession for your help and support in this area where we are now seeing an improvement in the situation.
Scrubs
Support is still needed to ensure that scrubs are not being hoarded and returned to the laundry system in a timely manner. It is also important to ensure that scrubs are not disposed of either and that they are returned for laundering. This situation has become more challenging over the past week. We are now seeing genuine issues and problems in the laundry system. Any help and support which estates and facilities teams can provide here will be greatly appreciated.
02/02/2021
COVID-19: National Vaccination Programme
We can see from reports in the media about the excellent progress which continues to be made with the COVID19 National Vaccination Programme. As we have noted previously, it is important for the estates community to remain safe as we continue the battle against the pandemic.
With this in mind, Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer at NHS England and NHS Improvement, met with a group of individuals from the estates community who were also from a BAME background. This was a positive meeting aimed at seeing how we can work together to ensure we remain safe and informed about COVID-19 and the vaccination programme. The estates profession works hard to ensure that patients remain safe. We must not lose sight of the need to ensure that we all remain safe.
There is a wealth of material which is centrally available in relation to the vaccination programme. We are developing this into a specific pack which we can make available via the HEFMA and IHEEM channels. This will be available soon.
LSE Students: Food and Behaviour Change Project
As part of the net-zero drive around food and drink the national NHS Estates Team is linking with a team from the London School of Economics which is working with the NHS to help achieve its net-zero commitment. We are specifically looking into the issue of food plate waste within hospitals, and how the NHS can reduce the amount of food wasted. In order to understand the variations and dynamics within hospitals, we are looking to engage with a range of NHS trusts to gain insights, best practice and identify the key areas for change. NHS trusts which are interested in taking part should e-mail nhsi.estatesandfacilities@nhs.net marking for the attention of Phil Shelley who will then follow up.
NHS England and NHS Improvement – Estates Team Questionnaire
We appreciate the responses by those local estates teams which completed the questionnaire. However, we know that NHS estates teams have been considerably busier than usual for obvious reasons and might not have had time to complete the questionnaire ahead of the deadline. For those estates teams and members of the profession who would still like to complete the questionnaire, it will remain open until close on Friday 19 February and can be accessed via the following link;
It would be really helpful to us if as many estates teams as possible take a few minutes to complete and return the survey. We will review the responses after the survey closes and will provide feedback and proposed actions.
Operational Pressures
These remain as previously reported and are outlined below.
Waste Management
The standard operating procedure for waste management was updated and published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on 18 January 2021. This document has been updated to reflect the National Vaccination Programme which is now well underway.
The document can be accessed from the following link;
The key message in this area is to ensure that all waste is appropriately segregated. Further messaging on this issue is expected to be shared via the NHS England and NHS Improvement Health and Care Leaders Update bulletin.
It is also worth being aware of all NHS trusts completing the daily waste management survey. This has been reduced from being required 7 days a week to 5 days per week. It is really important for all NHS trusts to routinely complete and submit this information. This is critical to us as it enables the national NHS Estates Team to provide system-wide assurances to both the DHSC and Civil Contingencies Secretariat. The informational also enables the team to help and support much earlier in the process as appropriate. Any queries about the daily waste management survey should be sent to england.wastemanagement@nhs.net
Oxygen
We need to ensure that the key messages recently shared on the Collaboration Hub regarding the management of oxygen services continue to be enacted by estates teams locally. This will help to manage the current pressures and as ever the members of the National Oxygen Team will be on hand to advise and support as necessary.
Our thanks to estates teams for their help and support in this area which is now helping to make a difference.
Scrubs
Support is still needed to ensure that scrubs are not being hoarded and returned to the laundry system in a timely manner. It is also important to ensure that scrubs are not disposed of either and that they are returned for laundering. This situation has become more challenging over the past week. We are now seeing genuine issues and problems in the laundry system. Any help and support which estates teams can provide here will be greatly appreciated.
25/01/2021
A Message from Simon Corben: COVID-19
The latest data indicates that the peak in terms of new COVID-19 infections may now be starting to pass. This is being reflected in the number of confirmed infections and the R number in some areas. This is welcome.
However, the pressure on our hospitals, in particular the number of inpatients receiving care for COVID-19, and consequently estates and facilities services, remains high.
As a profession, we will continue to play a key role in both responding to the pandemic as well as managing the business as usual activities associated with the NHS estate.
I would also like to remind estates directors and their leads to be able to assure themselves that all their staff – including porters, ancillary staff, and agency and contract workers – are following national infection prevention control guidance from Public Health England. My thanks to you and your teams for all that you continue to do in maintaining estates and facilities services in the current climate and supporting patient care. Please stay safe and I look forward to meeting up with you in person in due course.
NHS England and NHS Improvement Estates Forum
This will take place on 16 March as an online forum via IHEEM’s platform. The agenda will be finalised in the near future and will include discussions on the estates workforce, net zero carbon, New Hospitals Programme, disposals, next generation estates strategies and delivering the Long Term Plan through primary care.
Confirmed speakers include; Simon Corben, Fiona Daly, Adrian Eggleton and Craig McWilliam. Both Edward Argar, Minister of State for Health and Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer at NHS England and NHS Improvement will also be speaking at this forum.
Invitations to the forum will be issued in the near future. In the meantime please note the date in your diaries and look out for the invitation to register.
Operational Pressures
We continue to see operational pressures in the areas of; waste management, oxygen services and scrubs. Please visit the Collaboration Hub for the key messages which have been posted recently on these issues and note the urgent actions which are required.
18/01/2021
COVID19
The weeks ahead are expected to be extremely challenging for the NHS as it continues to respond to the latest wave in the pandemic. The estates profession will continue to play a key role in the response, both nationally and locally.
With this in mind, we cannot lose sight of the importance of continuing to look out for each other and our teams more generally. This includes ensuring that all our colleagues have access to emotional support when it is needed as well as having the opportunities to take annual leave which we do appreciate will be difficult in the current climate.
This also extends to ensuring that estates directors and their leads are able to assure themselves that all their staff – including porters, ancillary staff, and agency and contract workers – are following national infection prevention control guidance from Public Health England; and sharing regular reminders and advice on core information that all staff need to know on good hand hygiene, guidance on social distancing and Covid-19 safety in the workplace. It is vital to ensure that responsibility is taken locally for educating all staff, irrespective of whether or not they are providing support on an in-house basis, or through an outsourced arrangement. Close working with local communications and infection control leads to ensure rapid and widespread message dissemination can help support this.
Operational Pressures
Oxygen
We need to ensure that the key messages as outlined by Simon Corben recently on the management of oxygen services continue to be enacted by estates teams locally. This will help to manage the current pressures and as ever the members of the National Oxygen Team will be on hand to advise and support as necessary.
Our thanks to estates team for their help and support in this area which is helping to make a difference. IHEEM COVID-
The online IHEEM COVID-19 Oxygen Usage Tool is now available via the IHEEM Knowledge Portal, link provided below:
Scrubs
Support is still needed to ensure that scrubs are not being hoarded and returned to the laundry system in a timely manner. It is also important to ensure that scrubs are not disposed of either and that they are returned for laundering. This situation has become more challenging over the past week. We are now seeing genuine issues and problems in the laundry system. Any help and support which estates teams can provide here will be greatly appreciated.
Waste Management
The standard operating procedure for waste management has been updated and is now available from the NHS England and NHS Improvement website. This document has been updated to reflect the National Vaccination Programme which is now well underway.
The document can be accessed from the following link;
The document has been cascaded directly to Directors of Estates and Waste Managers. Please review the document and take action as appropriate. The key message in this area is to ensure that all waste is appropriately segregated.
We will be hosting a national webinar on this issue on 29 January at 1 pm. This will be led by Fiona Daly. Directors of Estates and Waste Leads at NHS trusts will be included in the invitation for this. Any enquiries about this webinar should be sent to nhsi.estatesandfacilities@nhs.net and marked for the attention of Linda Hood.
Secretary of State Hospital Food Review – Expert Panel
A separate post will follow this week to both IHEEM and HEFMA seeking applications for membership of the Expert Panel which will be established in the near future.
There are 9 places on the panel: 2x chef, 2x catering manager, 2x clinician, 2x nurse, 1x dietary expert. The successful candidates will be from either a hospital catering or clinical background with a passion for ensuring that food served to patients, staff and visitors is nutritious, safe and presented in an appetising way.
Panel members will be required to dedicate 4 days per month to the project which will include meetings, visits, papers and workshops and will need to be flexible and adapt to fast-moving and changing priorities and deadlines. The project will run for 3 years and is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the shaping of healthcare food services for the 21st century.
11/01/2021
COVID-19
There continues to be enormous pressure across the system and this is impacting inevitably across all of the estates profession. First and foremost it is vital that we all continue to look out for each other, ensuring that we are as supportive as possible as well as signposting to additional areas of support. We all need to remain safe and healthy.
It is also important for estates teams to note the recent reminders which have been issued, and to ensure that appropriate actions are in place which will help to alleviate pressures wherever possible on;
- Oxygen services – noting the key actions which Simon Corben has requested estates teams to enact
- Clinical waste – ensuring that waste is appropriately segregated and
- Scrubs – ensure that these are not being hoarded which is causing problems in the laundry supply system.
Key messages on these areas can be found in the Collaboration Hub.
Impact of COVID-19 on Colleagues from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Background
It is recognised that the impact of COVID-19 on colleagues from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background has been disproportionate. We are also aware that these groups may have specific concerns for us to address. A series of roundtable discussions are being scheduled, chaired by Prerana Issar, NHS England and NHS Improvement Chief People Officer. It is vital that the EFM is appropriately represented at these sessions and we are really grateful for your support and the resultant expressions of interest which have emerged from colleagues wanting to be part of these discussions. Thank you.
2019/20 ERIC
The 2019/20 ERIC data was published on the NHS Digital website on 7 January.
We are now in the process of working with the NHS England and NHS Improvement Model Hospital Team so that this latest data can also be reflected in that forum.
Key headlines from the latest data are;
- E&F running costs of £9.74bn and
- This represents an increase of £241m compared to the £9.5bn reported in the 2018-19 ERIC.
The increase can be attributed to; pay inflation for EFM staff, rates payable to local authorities and an increase in the numbers of sites which are now reported on. The number of reported sites increased from 5,718 in 2018-19 to 6,717 in 2019-20 (+17% – 999 sites).
We will be arranging a national webinar for estates teams in the near future to share further details from the 2019/20 ERIC. In the meantime, the data can be accessed at
Secretary of State Hospital Food Review
The Independent Hospital Food Review was published on 26 October 2020. There are a number of key actions which are now being taken forward to support the implementation of the recommendations.
This includes the creation of an expert panel whose key role will be to progress and monitor the recommendations of the review. We are now looking to recruit to this group which will include strong representation from the estates profession. Further details will follow in the very near future.
Letters have also been issued to eight NHS trusts which will form the Exemplary Trust Programme and Hospital Food Network. This group will also support the drive to implement the recommendations following the Secretary of State’s Review of Hospital Food. The trusts which are involved include Ashford and St Peters; East Lancashire; Nottingham University Hospitals; Royal Berkshire; Royal Wolverhampton; Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt; Sheffield Teaching Hospitals; and Western Sussex.