Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle

Facilities services, Cumberland InfirmaryThe Cumberland Infirmary was the first major district general hospital to be completed under the Government's Private Finance Initiative, between Cumberland Hospital NHS Trust and Healthcare Managerial Group (HMG) - a consortium comprising of Interserve, Amec and the Bank of Scotland.

The consortium designed, built, financed and operates the new £67m, 460-bed acute hospital, while Interserve delivers facilities services on a daily basis, in partnership with Carlisle Hospital NHS Trust through a 30-year PFI contract, awarded in 1999.

The new Cumberland Infirmary, covering an area mass of 11.957 hectares, brought together three hospitals onto one site. It opened in April 2000, 6 weeks ahead of schedule by then Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Following extensive consultations with trade unions and one-to-one discussions with employees, 350 staff were transferred under TUPE.

For all capital investment projects which have been at a cost to the Trust, Interserve has agreed to move to a Risk & Reward scheme. Both parties part share on the capital investment and on the utilities savings. Feedback mechanisms and regular customer surveys help to reinforce the continual assessment of the service delivery, ensuring that any areas of shortfall are quickly identified and rectified so that the services continue to develop with the changing needs of the hospital.

As a result of the successful delivery of the original build on time and to budget, we were awarded a 400K-expansion and refurbishment of the Breast Screening Department, which has now doubled in size meeting the increased patient needs. Also we extended the A&E entrance; replaced linear accelerators in the radiotherapy department; and managed of a step down 30-bed assessment facility.

Services

A flavour of the scope of the non-clinical 24-hour services provided onsite:

  • Catering & Hospitality (Patient & Non-patient)
  • Estates Management Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance, Grounds/gardens Maintenance & Repairs)
  • Portering
  • Cleaning & Domestics (including beverage service)
  • Helpdesk & Switchboard, Mailroom, Reception
  • Security & Identity Cards, Car Parking & Permits
  • Sterile Services
  • Finance & Administration Support
  • Linen and laundry
  • Waste Management (Clinical/Domestic/Special)
  • Telecommunications (Video Conferencing)
  • Project Management

Our working procedures and accountability are evident in our accreditations:

  • ISO 9001:2000 (maintained since 2002) - the first such award for an Acute Hospital in the country for a fully integrated facilities management service
  • ISO 18001:2007 (maintained since 2006)
  • ISO 14001:2004 (maintained since 2006, originally with URS (2004)

Achievements

  • 'Good' rating for West Cumberland hospital. View media coverage
  • RoSPA Gold Award 2006, 2007 & 2008
  • Highly Recommended BiFM Award (Best Practice in PFI) 2006
  • Park Mark Safer Parking Awards 2006, 2007 (Zones A - H)
  • Energy Efficiency Accredited - Carbon Trust
  • Cumbria Business Environment Network: Gold Award in Environment Practise 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007