FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Sodexo has extended its catering, retail and soft services FM contract at Queen’s Hospital, Romford for a further five years.
The company has delivered the soft FM services at the hospital since 2006 as part of the PFI contract with ProjectCo and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
As part of the new £140 million deal Sodexo will implement new portering and cleaning technology.
The contract extension builds on Sodexo’s strong partnership with ProjectCo and the Trust and creates a sound base for further investment and development of both clinical services and infrastructure enhancements.
Protecta, an evidence-based infection prevention approach, has been launched at the hospital to promote and support the adoption of best practices in cleaning and decontamination in the hospital, helping them to fight against healthcare acquired infections (HCAIs) and meet the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness.
New portering technology will be implemented by Sodexo which will improve patient flow, particularly within the Emergency department.
To improve sustainability and support the Trust with its Net Zero targets Sodexo deployed its WasteWatch programme in 2021 which has to date reduced food waste by 64 per cent (4,701kg), saving the equivalent of 8,637 meals and preventing 33 metric tonnes of CO2 output.
To drive the hospital’s net zero plans, Sodexo has changed its waste partner, who are able to provide a local processing service, which has significantly reduce transport mileage and therefore significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
During Covid-19, Sodexo successfully delivered a number of emergency projects to improve the critical provision, which included upgrading the VIE oxygen system to make Queen’s Hospital one of the most resilient hospitals using piped oxygen in the country, installing a completely new, state of the art ITU ward and converting an area of the Emergency Department into a new welfare space for doctors, nurses, and support staff to help support their wellbeing through rapidly changing circumstances. Sodexo will also be delivering a number of other significant and business critical projects over the coming years.
Philip Leigh, CEO Sodexo Healthcare, UK & Ireland said: “We are delighted to extend our contract at Queen’s Hospital, Romford. We will continue to work closely with the Trust to improve patient flow and support its objective to support early discharge from hospital. Patient experience is at the heart of what we do and we look forward to working with the Trust in the delivery of a number of significant projects planned over the coming years.”
With the current economic crisis resulting in higher prices and more of a squeeze on resources, FMs need to ensure that they have robust building and maintenance services in place to control costs and reduce the need for emergency repairs. When it comes to drainage and plumbing there are also the challenges of dealing with extreme weather, from droughts to flooding, the need to meet stringent regulations and to avoid causing environmental damage.
UK drainage specialist, Metro Rod, has launched a survey which explores the main areas of interest for FMs in maintaining drainage and plumbing, including how they currently assess their supply chains to ensure they’re working with partners that meet the highest possible standards and provide value for money.
The results will be published online so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
To take part click here.
