Reflecting on the first COVID-19 wave; four key learning points for facilities management to lead the way

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the Facilities Management outsourcing industry into the spotlight, and at ISS Healthcare, we have proven our worth.

We must now continue to move forward from what we have learned during the inception of the flagship NHS Nightingale Hospital London. Sir David Sloman, NHS Regional Director for London expressed this succinctly in his speech on May 12th 2020:

“Thank you. What you have achieved at the Nightingale has been truly extraordinary. We need to bottle it; we need to learn from it.”

We have stood shoulder to shoulder with our healthcare colleagues on the frontline of the nation’s response. We have provided critical care to our communities while at their most vulnerable. We have brought to public attention the importance of cleaning, catering, portering and support services, all of which are helping to keep everyone safe during these uncertain times.

Now is the time to reflect on our experience, take forward the lessons learned and commit to this new way of working; this new level of collaboration; this new public sector image. In a thank you speech on May 12, 2020, Andrew Panniker, Managing Director, Royal Free London Property Services acknowledged the the hard work of all involved in creating a 'first' with NHS Nightingale Hospital London:

“You and your families should be really proud of the way and the part you have played in converting the ExCeL into the emergency COVID field hospital for London. This was the first nationally, there was no blueprint, but there was a vision, which was to help save lives.”

1. FM in healthcare – a reinvigorated career choice

Our teams have gone above and beyond for the healthcare sector, raising the FM industry’s reputation as a profession of choice. During the pandemic, we at ISS saw colleagues transferring across from other sectors into our healthcare business. Initially, people wanted to contribute towards our nation’s efforts against COVID-19. But through the process, they discovered a new career path that encourages teamwork, decision-making and makes a tangible difference to the people it serves.

Now more than ever, the solutions we as FM companies provide to hospitals, care homes, community health centres and the social care sector are just as important to the patient as the services delivered by the clinical teams and allied health professionals. We are now classed as key workers, partnering our colleagues to deliver outstanding healthcare across the UK.

At ISS, we put all staff through our training Academy to develop their practical, sector-specific skills and gain a detailed understanding of the hospital environment. We empowered them to go the extra mile for the end customer and to take pride in their work. We have new employees who were so passionate about their roles that they permanently transferred into the healthcare industry. 

2. Re-energising the sector – putting decision-making back at the forefront

Accountability is too often a buzzword of any boardroom. Business in general tends to cluster decision-making at the top and forget to pass that responsibility down to the frontline. Our people are our most important asset, so we should energise them to make decisions that are in their customers’ best interests.

But throughout the pandemic, healthcare bodies and FM providers shifted this focus. We were trusted to be industry experts, and we showed what was possible when we took ownership of our services. Regular staff briefings to establish the point of truth; open communication channels to share ever-changing information and guidance; bringing our partners to the table with us – all of these made us quicker, more decisive and more resilient.

We co-located with our clients and liaised constantly to create new processes and expedite their implementation. It was no longer about silos, but about each provider playing the part of an accountable expert with ownership and decision-making capability to effect real change. A problem in the morning was a solution in the afternoon and became part of normal operations by the evening.

Timing was everything during this pandemic – swift action was the difference between life and death. Our resourcing strategy, which ensured that our hospital contracts had the right level of staff as and when they were needed, put people in the right roles at the right time. With support from our senior leaders, we could make decisions and see them through efficiently.

With all our partners in the same room, we mitigated against single points of failure. We had all the experts working together, so when we did it differently – such as turning operating theatres into ICU wards – we had the confidence to think outside the box. We trialled solutions, and if they didn’t work, we learned from any mistakes and moved on. There was no blame culture because there was no time. We remained agile; we adapted quickly; we improved consistently.

Being 'One Team' was a key factor mentioned by Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer, NHS Nightingale Hospital London in her thank you speech on May 12th 2020.

“Everyone has come together as one team regardless of what our background is, and our titles are and focused on saving lives. Thank you very much. I am very proud to be part of the NHS.”

3. Doing away with unnecessary bureaucracy

In a pandemic, it is vital to adhere to certain established procedures. But governance should support operations, not hinder them. It should be championed by senior management to drive forward solutions and escalate issues through the Bronze, Silver and Gold command structure. We cut through red tape because we had to act quickly for our patients. We organically removed bureaucracy from our working relationships, acting as a single team with a single purpose – to save lives.

As FM providers and leaders, we have a responsibility to keep driving this forward. It is vital that we learn from what we did differently during the first wave and retain our status as equal partners with the NHS, rather than reverting to the more traditional and onerous contractual relationship.

4. Pooling resource and removing competitive edge

Our industry has shifted in a myriad of ways over the last decade. We are now more outcome-focussed, embracing technology and smart working to drive solutions forward. Our clients in turn examine our outputs – the end benefits that our services can bring to patients, staff and visitors – rather than supplying a specific level of resource.

During the pandemic, we became true collaborators. We were trusted to deliver when it mattered most, and we succeeded. We need to keep this momentum going, to build on the relationships we’ve forged and focus on those outcomes as our joint partnership goals.

We need to learn from the first wave too. The FM industry is being put on alert once again as we currently approach a second wave. And we will be expected to deliver to a greater standard than before – now we have proven our capability, we must raise the high bar we have set for ourselves.

At the NHS Nightingale Hospital London, we trained our staff in providing healthcare FM services from our nearby Sunborn Yacht Hotel facility. Across the Thames, the NHS set up an equivalent training facility at The O2. The next step here is to bring the two together, with clinical caregivers and allied health professionals learning alongside hospital porters, cleaners and hospitality operatives.

A step further would be to train several Trust and FM employees under a single academy. A true collaboration during the second wave would involve everyone learning and developing together, batting COVID-19 through a joined-up approach. We have the infrastructure, so we can easily remove those restrictive elements of competition and commercial advantage. True transparency will help build the strongest possible defence against the pandemic.

How to remain in the room where it happens

The pandemic has brought the importance of FM into sharp focus. The industry has a responsibility to learn from the last six months, to take on board the ways in which we came together to help the country navigate through this crisis. We cut waste from our processes, threw complicated rulebooks out the window and focussed solely on our core commitment to look after our patients. And it worked.

As FM providers, if we want to keep our seat at this new table, we need to continue to prove our worth. We need to show that we can be long-term partners with the NHS, delivering solutions together that benefit clinical staff, allied health professionals, patients and visitors alike. In everything we do, we have to have the right people in the right place to make decisions with purpose.

People make places – FM can connect the two to make the healthcare industry continue to work better. 

About the author: Catherine Horne has built her career around her experience within the hospitality and healthcare sector. Her most recent operational position has been as Contract Director and Mobilisation Lead for the NHS Nightingale Hospital London. She currently leads the healthcare sales team for ISS, using her skills and knowledge to provide quality solutions for clients. Catherine has worked in different roles, including as a General Manager for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and as a Divisional Director for the Healthcare business unit of ISS UK.