NHS Property Services

Background

NHS Property Services Ltd is a new organisation that plays a vital part in the day-to-day running of the NHS. It manages, modernises and develops around 3,600 NHS facilities, from GP practices to administrative buildings. NHS Property Services Ltd employs over 3,000 staff nationally and aims to provide high quality, well-maintained and modern environments for NHS patients to be treated in, and in which NHS staff can work. NHS Property Services Ltd in Birmingham is one such resource, making sure that all NHS facilities are maintained to the highest possible level.

The Challenge

NHS Property Services Ltd Birmingham has employed the services of OUTCO since 2015. OUTCO was initially recommended by another NHS body. The contract was put out to tender and OUTCO won on service and cost differentiators. One of the principal aims of NHS Property Services Ltd Birmingham is to maintain a constant high level of support for hospitals, clinics and hospices. They need to supply 24/7 coverage, in all areas of their services, which includes keeping the roads, paths and car parks free of snow and ice in the winter months. This is essential as the NHS has a statutory obligation to keep staff, patients and visitors as safe as possible.

The Solution

OUTCO completed a compliance audit and now provides NHS Property Services Ltd Birmingham with a fixed cost for all services. Irrespective of how many service visits are undertaken during the course of the season, however harsh the winter is, it will never amount to a larger spend than anticipated. Managing budgets can be a challenge at the best of times but when you look at an unpredictable variable such as the weather, it can become very difficult. NHS Property Services Ltd Birmingham were keen to manage and control their spend on gritting and snow clearance, so the fixed cost and unlimited call-out option gives them the peace of mind to know that any scenario or eventuality is covered by OUTCO.

As soon as the temperature drops, OUTCO are alerted to potential cold weather, so the gritters automatically come out and make the roads as safe as possible. During a service visit, if snow is found on site to have accumulated to depths of 2cm or more, OUTCO will manually clear the snow. If snowfall is forecast for 5cm or more within a 24 hour time frame, OUTCO will mechanically clear snow on site using snow ploughs and heavier plant, if required.

The Result

“OUTCO provides an excellent service to NHS Property Services Ltd Birmingham. They are always contactable and respond immediately to any specific requests. They are extremely proactive, and always offer viable solutions to potential problems. OUTCO are very diligent, polite, courteous and professional. I run over 60 contracts and a lot of them are statutory. The biggest advantage of using OUTCO is that I get to talk to the supplier directly. It makes a refreshing change to have total control of the contract, without having to deal with sub-contractors. If I was to assess OUTCO on a KPI basis, on last year’s performance, I would rate them 4.5/5. Their service provision improves year on year and they remain a cost-effective option too. I foresee that we will continue to work with OUTCO for some time to come.”

Tom Kearney
Contracts Facilities,
NHS Property Services Ltd, Birmingham