FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - CAREER LADDER
For this month’s regular column on individual FM
careers, we talked to one of the many front-line FM
people working for our NHS. Interserve Domestic
Manager Vanessa Morrison runs a team of 219
people delivering catering and domestic services
to an NHS Trust hospital that is now treating
patients who have contracted COVID-19.
Name:
Vanessa Morrison
Current role:
Domestic Manager, NHS
Employer:
Interserve Group Limited
How did you progress in FM
to your current role?
In 2007 I’d had a decade o to
bring up my children and felt
it was time to return to work. I
saw a job advert which caught
my eye and the rest is history.
One of my first major tasks was
to ensure colleagues passed an
important e-learning module, then
I filled-in for a manager who had
a long-term absence. Because I
ran the morning shi successfully
for 15-months, I was invited to
become duty manager on a
permanent basis before I took on
my current role. We now have three
managers who are responsible for
more than 300 colleagues. My main
role is organising the roster and
ensuring the morning shi runs
smoothly.
What do you enjoy most
about working in this sector?
Every day is a challenge, but in
a good way. It involves excellent
organisational skills and I am
constantly learning new skills and
how to adapt to new situations
– now more than ever. Clearly
meeting the challenge posed by
COVID-19 has been an experience
and while it’s not one that any of
us ever wanted, I am deeply proud
of the way colleagues have risen to
the challenge. We all know that if a
hospital is not clean then it cannot
open, our jobs are of fundamental
importance and that means a lot
to me.
What personal qualities do
you think are most needed to do
your job?
No matter how stressed I feel or
what is going on in my life I make
sure that I come to work with a
smile on my face. I think it’s so
important to be approachable
and to have an open-door policy.
In addition, I will always volunteer
to work on the frontline if the
need ever arises – showing that
you can lead from the front is also
crucial. People skills, being a good
listener and being able to work in
partnership with the customer are
also vital ingredients.
How do you keep up with
the latest thinking on infection
control/cleaning regimes in such
a fast-moving situation?
Interserve has been at the forefront
of issuing guidance to sta . Our
Cleaning Director Janet Park and
her team has released a 30-minute
video showing best cleaning
practice to combat COVID-19 and
we have tool box talks that support
the team. Over and above that, it’s
crucial to work in partnership with
the NHS, to understand what their
needs are, and to stick to the NHS
guidance as that evolves. We are
ensuring all the touch points in
every room are cleaned regularly.
Where we are cleaning and serving
food to patients who are infected,
we don the correct PPE, follow
our training and stick to our
procedures, for example remaining
a set distance from infected
patients at all times.
What are currently the
greatest challenges for you and
your team?
Keeping every member of sta
feeling safe and happy and focused
on cleaning the touch points and
ensuring that everything humanly
possible is done to create the
best environment for patients and
NHS colleagues. It is particularly
challenging now because we all
have problems connected with
COVID-19 and the lockdown in
our personal lives. I’ve a shoulder
people can cry on, but it has to be
at two-metres distance!
Everyone is pulling together. It is a
wonderful team e ort.
A er this, do you think front
end operatives will get more
recognition for the vital jobs
they do?
I sincerely hope so. I first
experienced this a er the first
Thursday 8pm clap. Most of my
colleagues came in for the Friday
morning shi in tears, we were
all deeply touched. When I saw
their reaction I started crying too.
It was very emotional. I call my
colleagues ‘environmental ninjas’, I
know how hard they work and they
deserve so much appreciation.
What are your future plans
when the crisis has passed?
I want a nice holiday! However,
I genuinely love my job and am
committed to this for the longterm.
INTERSERVE FM URGES
COLLEAGUES TO VOLUNTEER
Interserve FM Andy Nash
volunteers as a blood biker
to help ferry vital medical
supplies to the NHS and has
urged others to support the
third sector.
The Facilities Management
Manager’s day job involves
running a team of 18
colleagues who deliver total
FM services to the Home
O ice, Civil Service and border control services.
But in his spare time he dons the hi-vis uniform
of Yeovil Freewheelers (YFW) Blood Bikes, a team
of 70 emergency medical motorcycle couriers
that provide a free service to the NHS. He spends
roughly a day per fortnight on call and has covered
up to 800 miles during a weekend shi .
Recently, just one of his tasks included
delivering COVID-19 blood samples from Yeovil
District Hospital to Musgrove Park Hospital in
Taunton. Jobs can range from carrying blood
plasma through to medical equipment, samples
and supplies.
Two-weeks-ago the Government launched
the Good Samaritan App to attract volunteers to
support the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nash said: “I love being a blood biker, it’s the
best thing I’ve ever done.
“I strongly urge others to get involved in
volunteering – especially at this time – because it’s
wonderful to really make a di erence.
“Being thanked by relatives is humbling, and I’ve
also been told by hospitals that I’ve directly saved
two lives which is an incredible feeling.”
Nash pledged to volunteer a er he was
diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 2011
and medical support was delivered by one of the
YFW Blood Bikes team.
He said: “A er I completed treatment for cancer
and passed my motorbike test, I was desperate to
give something back.”
To learn more about the Good Samaritan App
please visit https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS
and to learn more about the YFB Blood Bike group
and to see how to donate to keep them on the
road, please visit: www.yfwbloodbikes.org/
Would you, or someone you know, like to be featured in our career ladder column? If you’re an operational
FM with more than 10 years’ experience in the sector, then email sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
50 MAY 2020
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