ELFT Estates and Facilities takes Team of the Year title

The East London NHS Foundation Trust’s Estates, Facilities and Capital Development Team has been crowned Estates & Facilities Team of the Year at the annual Design in Mental Health (DIMH) Awards.

The team, which is responsible for the management, maintenance and strategic development of land, buildings and facilities across east London and Bedfordshire, was commended for its commitment to collaboration with patients and clinical colleagues alike to address urgent estates and facilities concerns.

Judges were impressed with the extent to which service users have been involved in the day-to-day planning and decision making.

The team introduced an innovative Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) Programme with service user coproduction – providing them with comprehensive training to ensure transparent and thorough feedback, helping to drive improvements.

Environmental Assurance Groups (EAGs) have also been implemented across all inpatient units to provide service users with a platform to actively engage with the management of their care environment.

This is in addition to the appointment of service users via People Participation – a service at the Trust that enables those with lived experiences to play an active role in improving quality by providing fresh, inside perspectives.

Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Development, David Stevens, said of the win: “I’m incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication of colleagues across our Team, who consistently strive for excellent standards.
 
“Thank you to the judges at #DIMH for recognising the commitment of our outstanding Team in providing a service user-led environment with a focus on safety.”
 
ELFT’s Chief Executive Officer, Lorraine Sunduza OBE, added: “Our Estates and Facilities Team has shown on numerous occasions that it prioritises service user-centred care, and values the insights patients bring to the table.
 
“I would like to thank colleagues and service users for their dedication in ensuring we can continue to provide high-quality care across all of our services.”