Column: Sammy Lambert, Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) Ltd - We are the behind the scenes crew

​HIF is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. We provide estates and facilities management to the trust. HIF are the ‘behind the scenes crew’, taking care of everything from catering to cleaning, patient moves to joinery, parking to sterilisation of medical equipment. HIF was officially formed five years ago, with the aim of providing essential services to the trust and we continue to work very closely to assist with meeting their strategic objectives.

HIF continues to develop and we recently published our new business plan, identifying the programme of work we intend to take forward over the next year. As we look to modernise our business and invest in our services, we have committed to upskilling our teams, with extra support and resources, which will allow us to support the trust to meet ever-increasing demands within the NHS. In addition we are able to support businesses who require our expertise.

Our goal is to be an employer of choice, continuing our commitment to provide extensive employment opportunities and aligning our policies with our people plan, developed following an extensive staff survey.

One of our priorities is to lead the trust in delivering a net zero NHS by 2040. We were successful in securing a sizeable grant to support decarbonisation of the trust site and we hope to complete this work by the end of 2023. The work involved has been extensive and visitors to the hospital site may have noticed areas of disruption, which we have tried to keep to a minimum, however, this work is essential in achieving our aim of net zero.

We have developed a green plan, alongside our travel plan, initially covering the next three years. These plans include developing schemes to support walking and cycling, enhancing our outdoor green spaces and reducing pollutants and waste.

Our capital schemes team have extensive experience with design and project management of major installations and building schemes, particularly focusing on sustainability.

We also provide business consultancy services, led by myself the associate director of business modernisation and service improvement. I specialise in team effectiveness workshops, customer care skills and service improvement across businesses. In addition to support services, I am able to provide extensive help and support for a range of businesses including sports clubs and venues who want to maximise their business offer.

We would love to hear from anyone who may wish to join our workforce. Our current vacancies are listed on our website www.harrogateintegratedfacilities.co.uk and advertised via our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – make sure to follow us, visit our website and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter to stay updated.

If you would like to discuss your business or consultancy needs, contact Sammy Lambert directly, at [email protected]. After all, all good things start with a conversation.