UHNM hosts Estates, Facilities and PFI Partnership Day
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has brought together colleagues and partners from across health and care for its annual Estates, Facilities and PFI Partnership Day.
The event, held at the Bet365 Stadium, brought together teams from UHNM, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT), Healthcare Support (North Staffs) Ltd, Sodexo, Siemens Healthineers, NHS England and the Cabinet Office to explore how working together helps keep care safe, effective and able to meet the needs of both hospitals and community services.
Presentations and panel discussions covered service improvement, workforce and culture, sustainability and partnership working, alongside updates on UHNM priorities.
The work of services including portering and waste, cleaning and catering, estates and capital projects, sustainability and security were also highlighted.
Simon Corben, Director and Head of Profession for NHS Estates and Facilities at NHS England, joined a strategic leaders panel, sharing national insight on the role of estates and facilities in supporting wider NHS priorities and future service transformation.
The event also recognised UHNM’s partnership model as an example of best practice, following success at the Partnerships Awards where UHNM and partners won ‘Best Operational Project’.
Lorraine Whitehead, director of estates, facilities and PFI, said: “I feel immensely proud of what we have built together through this partnership. It is rooted in trust, shared values and a genuine one-team ethos that spans UHNM, MPFT and all of our partners.
"Every day this collaboration makes a real difference, not only in the quality of our estate and facilities, but in the experience of our patients and the environment we create for our staff. What stands out most is the commitment and hard work of all of our Estates, Facilities and PFI colleagues and the vital role they play every day.
“This would not be possible without the support and engagement of our clinical colleagues, and I would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributes to the continued success of this partnership. It is something very special, and together we are achieving far more than we ever could alone.”
Jackie Small, joint chair of UHNM and MPFT, said: “What really matters is working across organisations in a joined-up way, all focused on improving care and outcomes for patients. When we align what we do across hospital, community and support services, it makes things better for patients, for our communities, and for the people who work across the system too.”
Dr Simon Constable, chief executive, said: “Delivering the best possible care for patients is a true team effort and depends on every part of our organisation working together. Events like this matter because they bring clinical, operational, estates, facilities and partner teams together to think about how we improve services, support patient care and design better ways of working for the future.”
The day ended with a networking event, giving colleagues and partners the chance to continue conversations and recognise the work happening across the partnership.
The Partnership Day was supported by Healthcare Support (North Staffs) Ltd, Sodexo and Siemens Healthineers.