8 9 Portering, catering and cleaning services have all awarded the NHS ‘exemplar’ status at BH. The hospital, which works in partnership with Medirest for portering, cleaning and catering services, is only the second hospital in the country to have achieved the prestigious status for all three. Inspectors from NHS England visited the hospital to evaluate and review the services and concluded: • the hospital had outstanding leadership and collaboration between the portering team, other facilities teams and clinical colleagues. • there was excellent use of digital technology to shape and prioritise workload, as well as utilising digital tools to enable flexibility in reacting to day-to-day challenges. • there was evidence of positive working relationships at ward level, which showed clear knowledge of the demand on clinical services as well as the ability to flex and prioritise to meet and adapt to this. • there was excellent teamwork and organisation within the catering teams. Team members were extremely proud of their menus and service model, which was evidently meeting the varying needs of patients. The building which comprises three floors, is designed to accommodate approximately 200 staff in purpose-built office accommodation close to the main hospital. As well as general desk space there are also desks designed with privacy screening so that clinical staff can hold virtual consultations, as well as pod seating. There are also a number of meeting rooms, training rooms, break-out areas, outside terraces, as well as kitchens. A large redevelopment of urgent and emergency care (UEC), aimed at improving patient and staff experience, is underway at BH. Once complete, the £6.5m redevelopment will ensure patients are seen and treated in the right place and at the right time, including those arriving by ambulance, and provide an improved working environment for staff. Staff and patients have seen a new entrance is being built between the current adult assessment hub and urology. In addition, refurbishments are ongoing in the Woodlands Unit which will be urology’s new home. In January a new urgent treatment centre – with a larger footprint – will be created in the previous urology department. Urgent and emergency patients arriving by foot will come in via an entrance at the front of the hospital where they will be assessed and transferred to the most appropriate area. If their illness or injury is Making ‘the Hub’ a home Delivery of best-in-class services more serious they can be seen in the emergency department (ED), while those with less serious conditions will be cared for in the urgent treatment centre (UTC). Currently only a quarter of urgent and emergency care patients are seen in the UTC. It is hoped that once the works are complete, 35-50% of patients will be seen there, improving waiting times for patients by creating capacity in the ED. As such ambulance hand over times should also be reduced, allowing paramedics to get back into the community sooner. As part of the redevelopment, there will be a newly refurbished, more spacious area for the paediatric ED, a larger ambulance handover area and more purpose-built mental health rooms will also be provided. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, said: “This is a really exciting development for the hospital. We’re hoping these plans will make a big difference to patient waiting times in our emergency department and will ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate location for them.” The works are being carried out in three phases, the first of which is due to be completed by March 2024. The entire project is due for completion by the end of 2024. For more detailed information about the project visit Freenet. New look urgent and emergency care entrance Staff from ED’s paedriatric team are looking forward to having more space Official opening of the Hub Medirest staff celebrate their award The best present of all for BH The build took five-and-a-half months and has been welcomed by staff from different divisions who were keen to move from buildings which were no longer fit for purpose. Staff were offered familiarisation tours of the new premises prior to moving. Some of the larger divisions who will be making use of the property include therapies, medicine and urgent care, surgery and associated services and women’s and children. But smaller teams such as legal and quality improvement will also be working out of the building. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, who officially opened the new office space, said: “I know how necessary this new building was and what a difference it will make to staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone moving in for their patience coping with the upheaval of the relocation. “I’d also like to thank the staff who helped us to deliver this building for our staff. This new administration space is all part of the jigsaw helping us deliver outstanding care for our patients.” The NHS exemplar recognition acknowledges the delivery of the best-in-class services and that the team will share learnings and experiences with other trusts. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, said: “This is a phenomenal achievement for our domestic, portering and catering colleagues. I am so pleased that they have been recognised in this way, as they work so hard to help deliver excellent care for our patients. They should be incredibly proud of themselves. This award is testament to the wonderful partnership between Medirest and Barnet Hospital – congratulations to everybody.” Staff have been celebrating the official opening of the Hub.
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