ADVICE & OPINION
FROM THE FRONT
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In the latest in our series which celebrates the contribution made by FMs working at the service front line,
Facilities Coordinator for NHS Property Services, Ana Maria Pinto describes how completing a demanding
apprenticeship programme has helped her manage her team of cleaners working at the NHS front-line
NHS Property Services is a governmentowned
organisation with one of the largest
portfolios of NHS estate in the UK. It comprises
more than 3,000 properties with 7,000 tenants
across England, has a total value of more than
£3 billion and represents about 10 per cent of the
total NHS estate - ranging from listed buildings
through to state-of-the-art integrated health
campuses.
Over the past year, NHSPS front-line sta have
gone through an incredibly challenging time.
Yet, despite the pandemic, Facilities Coordinator
for NHSPS Ana Maria Pinto has still managed to
complete the Level 3 Leadership and Management
NHSPS apprenticeship, which is designed to
support those within team leader / supervisor roles
who wish to develop their careers with further
professional qualifications and build on their
knowledge and confidence.
Pinto and her team of almost 70 domestic cleaning
sta are based in Leeds, responsible for the cleaning
and infection control of two major hospitals,
Skipton General Hospital and Withernsea Hospital
and around 40 clinical healthcare sites throughout
Yorkshire and Humber. Pinto, who completed
her apprenticeship with the outstanding grade of
distinction, explains: “I’d already worked for some
time within the cleaning industry as a team leader
or deputy manager before joining OCS in 2015. Prior
to transferring to NHSPS in December 2018, I was
working in OCS Group as a Deputy Manager. I had
started there as a Supervisor then moved into a
Deputy Manager role, so when I was TUPED over to
NHSPS I took the Facilities Coordinator role.
“When the course became available, I had a
discussion with my line manager where I told her
I’d like to gain more management and leadership
skills. She said it would be a very good course for
me because I wanted to hone my management skills
with my team.
“I joined the course excited by the prospect of
receiving a formal qualification in a subject that I
am passionate about – managing people. I began
my training at OCS, where I undertook Level 3
Leadership and Management for five months before
I moved to NHSPS.
“During the course I was surprised to learn about
all the di erent styles of management which has
really helped me develop my team. It has given me
a more in-depth knowledge on how to be a leader,
12 MARCH 2021
how to manage my team and any issues between
them, and crucially, how to have those ‘di icult
conversations’.”
COVID-19 CHALLENGES
“The pandemic has been both a very challenging
but rewarding time. We’ve learned a lot together
and my team has showed a lot of resilience
throughout. At the beginning of the pandemic
there was some confusion about what was the best
training to give our domestics dealing with such an
unparalleled situation, but we came together as one
and ensured that everything went smoothly. Due to
the severity of the pandemic, our domestics were
understandably hugely concerned about safety. As
their manager, I did what I could to reassure them
and our clients that we could continue to deliver
the best service.
“I believe one of the keys to keeping our sta
morale up during these times has been the high
level of training and skills we’ve been able to o er.
This, combined with the right PPE, is fundamental
to helping them feel more at ease that the risks are
minimised because they have the best knowledge
and the right protection. We have reassured them
that they are as safe as we can make them, and
they’ve responded by showing us how resilient they
can be.
“More recently we took on some additional
agency sta as we’re now working on the
vaccination sites. During the pandemic, we’ve also
had to redeploy two members of sta who were
clinically vulnerable. But throughout the crisis,
if our sta were worried, or have any questions,
they know they can come to us and we are here for
them.”
Ana Maria Pinto has also worked hard to ensure
that despite the challenges of the pandemic,
training opportunities are still there for everyone
on her team.
She says: “There was a team leader who took the
same course as me as I thought that would be great
for her development. I’m always asking my sta
to take training opportunities as sometimes they
assume ‘I’m just a cleaner I don’t need it’. I think
it’s important to encourage them to do more for
themselves and take time to have conversations
with them on how best they can develop their
skills.”
One of such training opportunities is the internal
apprenticeship programme ‘Stepping Stones’.
This course is designed for those who are directly
impacting the NHS’ front line, including caretakers,
domestic assistants and receptionists. In the first
cohort, 16 people joined the Stepping Stones,
supporting those who pass a rigorous interview
process in ‘being the best they can be’. Stepping
Stones isn’t necessarily about progressing to
the next career level, so you don’t need to have
aspirations to become a manager in order to
complete the programme. It is an opportunity
to develop additional personal skills so that
you can be your best, or you may want to use it
as a ‘Stepping Stone’ to develop yourself for a
future role. The course focuses on confidence,
communication, customer service skills and
culminates in most achieving Level 2 in FM delivery.
“Because of the key role cleaners have played
during the COVID-19 crisis, people now recognise
what we do. My team are the first people on site
and they do work they are doing with a smile even
if, at the back of their minds they’re worried, about
going back home and putting their family at risk.
Our duty of care is to ensure we always show our
appreciation for what they do, and constantly
check they’re feeling as supported and protected as
possible.”
For the future, Pinto has just enrolled for a Level
4 in leadership and management qualification,
“because I know there’s always more I can learn.
I’ve been unable to see my parents back in
Portugal for over two years so I’m hoping when
travel restrictions are relaxed I can fit in a trip,
but meanwhile professionally, I want to grow and
develop within the company while continuing to do
what I can for my team.”