NHS Property Services has celebrated its first group of employees to join the British Institute of Facilities Management. Fast-track members have just gone through an intensive assessment period with eighteen achieving Certified member status of the Institute and a further thirteen achieving Member grade.
The fast-track assessment for BIFM membership forms part of the FM Professional Development Partnership between NHS Property Services and the British Institute of Facilities Management which was announced earlier this year. The scheme to provide membership and professional development for 1,500 of NHS Property Services’ FM employees is part of their commitment to the NHS customer by focusing on the professionalisation of the entire workforce to deliver greater benefits and services.
Under the professional development scheme groups of NHS Property Services’ employees are joining the Institute in phases and this first group of over 300 included the top tier of the NHS Property Services’ leadership team going through an intensive assessment programme. The assessments for these individuals took place over four days, through face-to-face interviews with a representative from BIFM and one of the Institute’s Technical Membership Assessors. The interviews also provided the opportunity to create continuing professional development plans for those involved.
Head of Service Improvement, Ray Goodier, said “This is fantastic news for our FM colleagues as we continue to enhance the skills of our staff with over thirty colleagues achieving Member and Certified grades. We will now build on this success by professionalising other disciplines within the company, continuing to make NHS Property Services an employer of choice.”
NHS Property Services London Regional Director, Tony Griffiths has worked for the NHS for 35 years. Having started his career in as an Energy Engineer in Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth, he then progressed to the position of Estates Manager at the former Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children in London. Since then he has moved through positions such as PFI Project Director, management of community health services and Deputy CEO, all with responsibilities in property. Having achieved Certified status (CBIFM) he said: “I’m delighted to be one of the first batch through certification. I have always supported the professionalisation of services, as it encourages individuals to take personal responsibility for both the services they deliver as well as their own development. Certified status and our alignment to BIFM shows personal commitment to professional standards and recognition of obligations to society, the profession and the environment.”
Service Delivery Manager, Grace Graham began her career in retail Safety and Infrastructure managing a team of Food Safety Officers, cleaning employees, porters and handymen with a focus on improving store standards, facility management and supporting large scale refurbishments. She moved through a series of management roles in the private sector working in FM, IT and project management. She has worked for NHS Property Services for one year and has achieved the Certified membership grade. She said: “This is a really great opportunity for staff to further their careers under a strong and industry recognised sponsor. We will be able to support teams on their own journey which in turn will improve standards across the company.”
Chief Operating Officer, NHS Property Services, Dennis Markey said: “This is another step in the professionalisation of our workforce. The process will improve standards for customers and by educating and professionalising individual staff members, we will also help raise standards within the profession as a whole. We have begun with the management tier so that they can encourage and support colleagues throughout the organisation as they enter upon the process towards their own professional development.”
BIFM Chief Executive Officer, James Sutton said: “We are delighted to welcome the first group of NHS Property Services’ members to the Institute and pleased to be able to confirm the grades for these new members.
“It’s truly inspirational to see how this change programme is being embedded and taken forward in the organisation; driving forward significant change hinges on strong leadership and a clear vision. This is exemplified in NHS Property Services with their vision to deliver improved value and benefit for the customer by investing in and supporting employees to raise standards and professionalising the workforce organisation-wide by providing individual and relevant professional development opportunities. This bespoke Professional Development Partnership demonstrates how BIFM’s Group Membership Scheme can be used by FM employers as the foundation of their staff development and talent management programmes.”
Further employees will join the scheme over the coming months and qualifications will be offered to staff members across the company as the programme develops.
