NTH Solutions joined Reset in January 2016. As a subsidiary of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust with responsibility for all of its estates, facilities and support services as well as supplying services to organisations in the surrounding community, NTH Solutions had identified a need for enhanced control and visibility of contractors on-site during estates developments. It was hoped that Reset would meet that need. Five years on, and the subsidiary has never looked back.
Serving almost half a million patients and with over 5,500 staff across three sites, it was imperative that NTH Solutions remained compliant whilst increasing the number of contractors working on site during lockdown. This increased number was required to effectively manage a number of demanding and complicated projects during the pandemic without impacting negatively on patient care. By implementing Reset, the subsidiary was able to provide Infection Prevention Control and Patient Experience colleagues with additional reassurance whilst allowing the Trust to help more people than ever during the pandemic.
For example, the use of Reset was fundamental in the development of a new combined entrance and triaging system to the University Hospital of North Tees’ Urgent Care and Emergency Departments. The project, which had to be completed within just 12 weeks without disrupting patient flow, was crucial in enabling the hospital to more efficiently accommodate the volume of patients coming through its doors. Expanded capacity was required for the approaching winter period that was set to compound already increasing Covid pressures.
The development enabled all self-presenting patients to use a single entrance for urgent and emergency care services. This meant that patients could be triaged and placed onto the most appropriate care pathway and directed to the most appropriate services to meet their needs. Levi Buckley, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust Chief Operating Officer, said: “The new entrance and remodeled interiors will help the Trust manage the increase in emergency admissions we experience every winter. It will also play a vital role in tackling COVID-19 and in the longer-term it provides us with increased capacity to help patients.”
As well as making life easier for patients, the newly remodeled service increased space within the department, which is more crucial than ever in helping prevent and control the spread of infection. Despite its several major benefits, the project did require a lot of additional contractors to be on site. This was concerning for everyone, particularly the Trust’s Infection Prevention and Control and Patient Experience teams. A robust mechanism for evidencing and demonstrating effective contractor competence and management was required in order to uphold a duty of care - this is how NTH Solutions came to select Reset as its preferred partner and tool for effective contractor management.
Steve Taylor, Assistant Director of Estates and Capital at NTH Solutions had the following to say about contractor management: “Effective contractor management is fundamental to the success of any estates development. Whilst contractor safety and competence are inherent in every project we complete, the easy and convenient access to real time evidential data provided through the Reset platform provided everyone with that added peace of mind. The dependability of the system was a key factor in completing this particular project on time, which took place from September to December 2020 – an incredibly short timeframe. It provided confidence that we remained compliant with regard to contractors and also accommodated the needs of our staff, patients and the general public.”
Reset has become a permanent and crucial fixture in the NTH Solutions estate strategy. Teams are able to more easily manage increases in contractor numbers across their sites at any time through several Reset Access touchscreens and RFiD Reset Access Mobile Terminals. Using Reset Individual cards or the Virtual Card app on their smartphones, these self-service terminals allow contractors to efficiently log on site, select jobs and locations, and log off site on completion.
The Trust’s no-nonsense approach to contractors’ membership and use of Reset terminals when working on site has seen it rank consistently in the top three Reset- using organisations. Bringing the management and compliance of capital projects contractors under the Reset umbrella in the last 18 months has driven two-fold growth in contractors logging their arrivals and departures from site.
Visiting contractors must read and accept any associated risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) when logging on and view any important announcements about working safely on site that day. Reset’s system also performs automated checks to ensure, for example, contractors have current asbestos awareness qualifications and their employers have appropriate insurances.
The Trust’s Supervisors and Management have reassurance that if contractors fail these automated checks, they will be ‘stopped at the gate’ by the Reset system and referred to Estates. What’s more, when each contractor logs in, their competence profile is instantly sent to an Estates Manager who can ensure that they are competent to complete their appointed task safely.
Reset helps NTH Solutions manage its estates strategy with greater efficiency and real-time visibility. As well as using the system to monitor and manage contractors’ health and safety compliance and competences, it is also used as a means of validating and controlling costs.
Detailed history reports provided by Reset’s system show when contractors logged on site, the work they carried out, their locations and when they left site. NTH Solutions use these reports to ensure the Trust complies with statutory maintenance requirements and to verify the accuracy of contractors’ invoices and control costs. This enables tighter control of budgets and efficient use of resources – fundamental for any organisation managing public sector funding.
The Trust also has the added peace of mind knowing that, if an incident arises or future claim is made, the history reports will be available to its managers and may be used in its defence.
Get in touch to discuss how Reset can help you manage and monitor contractor and worker compliance on your site.
T: 0114 240 9951 E: hello@rcscard.co.uk www.rcscard.co.uk
