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Recognising Our Role

For those who have long believed that Facilities Management has a vital role to play in the NHS, the last year has been very encouraging. There’s no doubt that more and more people are showing interest in the subject, both in the NHS and among commercial organisations. It is now recognised that effective management of support services is not only important to the success of an organisation but is also a complex task requiring a wide range of skills. Facilities management can be a valuable mechanism for change in service delivery, but the maximum benefits will only be achieved if those involved are fully trained to undertake the role. Moreover, their skills must be continually updated through appropriate training.

PROGRESS, ON EVERY FRONT
No matter how you judge the success of a training organisation – whether by
the number of people attending its various events or by its reputation – the last year was certainly a very successful one for the Facilities Management TAG. Attendances were up and the TAG has a growing reputation for being a leading edge training body.

Following three very well received conferences in 1996, the TAG organised Facilities Management in a Changing World at the Atlantic Suite at Manchester Airport. This proved a highly appropriate venue for an event which examined changes in the delivery of support services both inside and outside the NHS. Speakers from both the NHS and the independent sector speculated on customers’ future expectations and discussed what contribution Facilities Management had made towards the success of the host organisation. All of the speakers delivered excellent presentations and the range of subjects and mix of professional backgrounds was much appreciated by the audience. Over 50 delegates attended and the feedback was very positive.

The second conference had a very different subject and took as its starting point the fact that Facilities Management is acknowledged to be primarily a people-orientated business. It follows that those involved in managing support services must be able to get the best from their staff. To ensure that NHS staff are properly trained in this area, a conference entitled Leading & Motivating the Team was held at British Aerospace, Warton on 1 April.