We are UHB: John Nicholas, Estates Project Manager

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals, Birmingham Chest Clinic, and Solihull community services.

I joined UHB in 2021 as an agency contractor. I had been unemployed at the time, worrying about where the next meal would come from. Before that I had been working in capital projects sales, where I worked on multimillion pound projects. That job involved a lot of stakeholder engagement, liaising with clients and contractors alike. So, shortly after joining UHB as an agency contractor, it felt like a natural move into the job I do now as project manager for capital projects.

I work within the Estates Team across all of our hospitals working on capital projects for the Trust. I currently look after the public sector decarbonisation scheme for Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals, and the estates work involved in the reopening of our Urgent Treatment Centre at Solihull Hospital.

My job as a project manager is very routine, in the sense that most of what I do each day can be predicted. I have to be on site to make sure things are running smoothly and I liaise with the contractors and various teams across the Trust. But while that is the case, my favourite thing about this job is that every day is different; every day there is a new challenge. Ultimately, it is those challenges that get me out of bed every morning. We are a team of people that tackle problems, but we don’t want to come to you with a problem, we’ll come with a solution. There are a lot of benefits to working in the NHS, but I love the camaraderie and team work that you get when working here. I’m lucky that I work in a great team, where we all support each other. ?

The thing about working in estates is that it is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year job, especially for the operational team who keep the lights on and the building running. For us over on the capital projects side, we have deadlines to meet, and the work isn’t year-round like operational estates, but there is a lot for us to get done in the timeframe. For me, I have to be onsite when the contractors are on site – I am responsible for making sure the site they are working on is safe for them, for our staff and ultimately our patients.

As a contractor you have to work for your client, whereas within the NHS your client is anyone who steps foot onto the site – the patients, visitors and staff. So, we have to make sure the estates work is up to the standard they would expect and delivered on time. That’s what I love about working in the NHS; ultimately, everything me and my teams do has a positive impact. I like knowing that we make a difference to patients and staff. Clinical colleagues have a hard job as it is, and I would like to think that we do our bit in making their jobs a bit easier.

Working in capital projects, we also see things from start to finish. The Urgent Treatment Centre for example, we saw that from being a construction site to now the medical facility it is today. What we have managed to turn it into will have great benefit to the patients and the teams, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.

If you would like to join one of our estates teams, you can find all our current vacancies on our jobs website: