NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has changed the way it delivers hard facilities management services (‘Hard FM’), which will see the government-owned company take direct control of selected services.
NHSPS is responsible for the management and maintenance of 3,500 properties across England, encompassing 7,000 tenants, NHSPS has one of the largest portfolios in the UK, valued in excess of £3bn and representing approximately 10% of the total NHS estate.
The move to insource Hard FM services, i.e. those that relate to the maintenance of the physical materials of a building, follows a detailed review by NHSPS. This has determined which services should be delivered directly by NHSPS instead of the current provider Mitie. These include plumbing, electrical, mechanical, water systems, fire safety systems, lighting and building inspections.
Other selected services such as air conditioning, heating, and gas will continue to be provided by Mitie or transferred to trusted partners.
The change came into effect on 1 April 2020 when approximately 140 Mitie employees affected by the decision will transfer to NHSPS’s employment.
Martin Steele, Chief Executive at NHSPS, said: “By taking these elements of facilities management in-house, we will have greater control over the standard and flexibility of service we provide our NHS customers. Given the scale of this service nationally, we will also be able to achieve significant cost efficiencies, to be reinvested back into the NHS.”
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has called on the Government to direct all Government bodies to release all cash retentions monies held. The move could inject more than £1 billion into the construction sector at a time when it is facing a major cashflow crisis.
The call to release retentions was part of a six point plan to sustain the industry and accelerate recovery of the economy and it was included in a letter sent to the Prime Minister.
It is estimated that throughout the construction industry there is £4.5 billion is held by clients and firms in the supply chain in the form of cash retentions. As the public sector accounts for nearly 40% of construction output and if the Government agreed to the request then around £1.8 billion could be pumped into the industry quickly.
The CLC letter said: “There will, no doubt, be some strong opinions over this, but were the Government to direct all Government bodies to release all retention monies held this would inject cash at all levels of the construction supply chain.”
According to the CLC the construction sector is already working together to respond to the impact of the coronavirus, and to ensure that it can both sustain the industry over the coming weeks and months, as well as to enable it to play a full part in the economic recovery once the coronavirus has been beaten.
The CLC has also called for clear support and recognition from the Government for the essential work that it is doing, and the role it is playing in supporting public services and keeping the economy functioning. The CLC also warned that as merchants and distributors close there is the very real prospect of many of the essential works not being able to be done, or unduly delayed, by difficulties in securing products and materials.
CLICK HERE to download the CLC letter to the Prime Minister.
The NHS Nightingale Hospital London is on schedule to open this week to care exclusively for Covid-19 patients from across the capital and could have a capacity of several thousand beds by the anticipated peak of the coronavirus pandemic next month.
Ian Peters, chair of Barts Health, the authority responsible for the new hospital, said: “We are facing a profound crisis requiring bold and unproven solutions. It is an honour to be asked to embrace the NHS Nightingale at a time of national emergency. We willingly accept the challenge and will finalise arrangements in the next few days.”
The Department of Health has announced that there are also plans to build NHS Nightingale wards in Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast. Contractors Bam, Interserve and Vinci are among those involved in creating a series of emergency hospitals across the UK to care for COVID-19 patients.
Armed Forces personnel are also part of the team that has been working around the clock to transform London’s Excel Centre into the new NHS Nightingale Hospital London.
CITB’s is to suspend the issue of CITB levy bills, due for payment in 2020, for an initial period of three months.
The bills will subsequently be issued for the full year. CITB claim that the delay will provide immediate financial relief to construction employers during the coronavirus crisis.
In normal times CITB assesses and sends out levy bills each April and CITB levy bills are usually due for payment in May, but CITB will not seek collection on the suspended bills until August, or later if possible.
Sarah Beale, CITB chief executive, said, “Everyone in construction is facing extreme pressure at the moment and it’s right that we provide the financial relief we can to protect employers and ensure that the industry is as prepared as possible for the economic recovery that will come when the crisis lifts.
“CITB is reviewing all of its work to respond to the rapidly changing skills needs of industry. We are continuing to re-evaluate our services, funding and grants to adapt them to meet industry’s changing priority needs.”
CITB will provide employers with further detail as soon as it can but it also said that all levy bills, raised before 2020, should have been paid and employers in arears should contact CITB to discuss payment options.
There is still time for specialist contractors to register with the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) as part of their initiative to find firms who can provide vital service and maintenance work for the NHS at short notice.
BESA is conducting a survey to find capable of working at short notice firms who can do this. A search to find firms capable of
The survey has already seen more than 300 firms register and it runs until the end of this week.
David Frise, BESA’s chief executive of BESA, said: “The initiative came out of a conversation with the NHS who were looking for quick and easy access to contractors able to deliver vital repairs and maintenance. It’s an example of (BESA) helping members to generate work.”
The Government has paid tribute to the construction industry and its supply chain thanking all those who are working tirelessly to deliver large and small construction sites across the country during the coronavirus crisis. It said the sector is making a hugely valued and critical contribution.
In a letter from the secretary of State Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, said that the construction industry has answered the call to action. Whether by building temporary hospital wards, installing complex and life-saving oxygen systems, constructing the infrastructure that society needs to function or ensuring that people have safe and healthy homes to live in.
Mr Sharma went on to say that wherever possible, people should work at home: “However, we know that for many people working in construction their job requires them to travel to their place of work, and they can continue to do so. This is consistent with the Chief Medical Officer’s advice.”
The letter went on to say that the Site Operating Procedures, which were published by the Construction Leadership Council, meet the latest guidance from Public Health England.
It concluded by stating that the industry is “making a hugely valued and critical contribution to the resilience of our Nation and I salute you for the enormous efforts you are individually undertaking to support the UK economy.”
CLICK HERE to download a copy of the letter and the Site Operating Procedures.
Build UK has published advice on a range of contractual issues for members and the wider supply chain. It has again highlighted that the Construction Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has said construction work should continue during the coronavirus pandemic.
Build UK has published practical advice on a range of contractual issues. Build UK has worked with solicitors Wedlake Bell LLP to produce comprehensive guidance for all parties in the supply chain.
Build UK Contractor members have been clear that no-one should be required to travel to, or work on, their sites if the PHE guidance on social distancing cannot be met. Where we receive evidence that this is not the case on particular projects, we areproviding feedback to the company concerned.
Trade bodies in Scotland, including the Scottish Contractors Group, have set up the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum to lead the industry response to the pandemic. The position on construction work in Scotland is not clear, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon advising that “sites should close unless the building being worked on is essential – such as a hospital” without then specifying what else is considered essential. The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Economy Fair Work and Culture has written to representatives in the industry, stating: “We are considering whether guidance could be issued to determine if a construction site can be safely operated in line with social distancing”.
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has recently confirmed that the Home Office has informed police forces that construction is a business sector that has been asked to remain open.
RICS has begun providing a low value construction adjudication service aimed at helping SMEs with a simple and cost-effective procedure that will make solving contract disputes more accessible and quicker for lower value claims, and free up SME cash flow.
The RICS service will operate in accordance with the ground-breaking CIC Low Value Disputes Model Adjudication Procedure (LVD MAP) procedure.
The service is aimed at disputes where the amounts claimed are for £50,000 or less, and the issues in dispute are relatively uncomplicated. In the light of the impact of the coronavirus on the industry, there is a renewed call for an easy to use method. RICS have set up a high-quality panel of RICS adjudicators who have been trained to deliver the service.
RICS is a key supporter of the CIC LVD MAP, which was set up as a direct response to concerns that adjudication had become too costly and complex for smaller amounts and has been involved in its development over the last two years.**
John Fletcher, RICS’ Global Director of Dispute Resolution Services, said: “RICS is very supportive of the CIC’s best practice guidelines and as a professional body who can provide adjudication services is happy to be able implement our service sooner to support small businesses in these extraordinarily challenging times. With cashflow a growing issue for the sector, this service offers a realistic opportunity for SMEs in the construction industry to have disputes resolved cheaply and effectively, where they might previously have found the costs and complexity of adjudication to be prohibitive.
Constructiony Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “This new, more transparent process will offer access to justice for small and medium sized companies in the construction industry – helping ensure small disputes are resolved quickly, cheaply and effectively. We welcome the work of the CIC and RICS in developing this initiative.”
The LVD MAP complies with the Construction Act and includes an uncomplicated timetable and structure. It provides a flexible, yet simple to understand, approach to the key elements of the adjudication process and can reduce the amount of reliance parties may need to place on professional representation. Crucially, the procedure is relatively inexpensive, and both sides will know beforehand how much the adjudicator will charge and how much each will have to pay.
WellTek, a London-based furniture company that uses health technology in workplace furniture, has delivered a new and innovative furniture pod to Whipps Cross Hospital.
WellTek has provided Whipps Cross Hospital in North London with a Neurosonic wave and a neuron activation pod (NAP) for their make-shift Wellness centre. The Wellness Centre provides a space for hardworking NHS staff to have a break when working their shift at the hospital.
The Wave mattress and NAP from Lo0ok Industries, a ground-breaking Finnish technology company, work via sensory tissue stimulation; to help the mind and body relax and recover on a 10-minute programme. The mattress and pod use Neurosonic technology to increase the user’s wellbeing by helping to improve sleep quality, reduce migraine problems, relieve stress and many more ailments both physical and mental.
Neil Jenkins founder and Managing Director of WellTek: “By providing the Wellness centre with a wave and NAP we hope to make much needed recovery breaks more relaxing and comfortable.”
WellTek has now started a campaign to get as many Neurosonic products to hospitals as quickly as possible and are in the process of working with partners to do this.
Build UK has reinforced the message that contractors should follow the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Site Operating Procedures to ensure workers remain safe. It has also recommended that contractors’ employees should carry a letter confirming they are travelling to essential work following claims that tradesmen are being stopped by the police.
At the weekend, Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, was questioned on the issue of individuals going to work and not feeling safe to do so. Mr Sharma was very clear that, where work cannot be undertaken from home, people should go to work and employers must follow Public Health England (PHE) guidance. Build UK on behalf of the CLC has developed Site Operating Procedures specifically for construction sites to ensure they are compliant.
Some open-sites may start to adopt 24 hour shifts, revising programmes to minimise trades working alongside each other, and reconfiguring welfare areas to protect the workforce. However, Build UK Contractor members have been clear that no-one should be required to travel or work if the PHE guidance on social distancing cannot be met.
The CLC has also issued further advise to contractors suggesting that employers issue their workers with a letter explaining that they are a construction worker or supplying services to a construction site in the event that they are asked to verify they are on an essential trip.
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