Mears awarded FM contract for Kent and Medway NHS trusts 

Mears Group has been appointed as facilities management provider for Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT).

The five-year contract, which commenced on 1 October, sees Mears take responsibility for works across all the trusts’ sites, with a dedicated support team.

Services include a 24/7, 365 days-a-year helpdesk for FM works including emergency repairs, planned preventative maintenance and statutory repairs and inspections.

As part of the Group’s aim to become the most socially responsible business in the sector by 2025, Mears has committed to delivering £1.7 million of social value investment in the communities both trusts serve through local recruitment, as well as dedicating in excess of 500 hours of volunteering work to the projects and goals focused on by both clients.

In addition, Mears will be supporting Kent’s younger generation with apprenticeships and work placement opportunities.

KMPT has a workforce of more than 3,700 people and provides a wide range of adult mental health and learning disability services to a population of 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. The trust cares for more than 2,000 people in its hospitals and 54,000 people in the community every year.

Peter Prentice, Director of Estates & Facilities Management at KMPT commented: “We are delighted to soon be working with Mears Group which has a wealth of experience, resources, and knowledge from their previous work within the healthcare sector.  

“Using the latest technology, Mears’ engineers will be able to log any maintenance issues and job information in real time. This will enable us to address any issues quickly and efficiently and help us ensure our hospitals, clinical spaces and offices remain in good condition for the benefit of both our service users and staff.”

KCHFT employs about 5,200 staff made up of community nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, podiatrists, dental staff and many other healthcare professionals and corporate services. The trust is one of the largest community health providers in England, serving a population of approximately 3.6 million people across Kent, East Sussex and parts of London.

Kevin Galvin, Director of Estates and Facilities at KCHFT, said: “It’s crucial we make sure the places we deliver care from are fit for purpose and compliant with modern standards so we can continue to provide optimal healthcare to our patients and those that access our services. We are very pleased to be working with Mears, which has a proven track-record in delivering quality FM services, and also to be partnering with KMPT, which like us, delivers care to millions of people across our large and diverse communities.”   

Kevin Woodcock, Managing Director, Mears FM, said of the contract award: “Mears Group is delighted to be entering into this long-term partnership with KMPT and KCHFT, building on our organisation’s existing presence in the county. We look forward to delivering critical services which focus not only on safe and cost-effective service delivery, but also investing in the communities in which we work.” 

The agreement has the potential for a further five-year contract extension at the end of the term.