One day seminar & AGM April 2019

The Society is hosting a one day event on Wednesday 10th April 2019 at the Burlington Hotel, Birmingham. Speakers are being sought to present papers on the laundry framework agreement, the future of linen provision to the NHS, lessons learned from outsourcing and an open forum dealing with topical issues around linen provision, followed by the Society’s AGM.

The event, including lunch and refreshments will be free to attend for all members, NHS employees & corporate members anyone else will be required to register at a cost of £75/delegate.

There is a maximum number of places available and these will be allocated on a first come basis.

Initially, anyone interested in attending should register their interest by email to:  event@linenmanager.co.uk  A full programme will be sent to upon receipt of interest.

Infection Prevention & Control – London 2019

Free passes for all Society members

We are pleased to announce the latest batch of funded (no charge) delegate places are now available. The 2019 event is taking shape with the majority of speakers now confirmed. You can see details at www.infectioncontrol2019.co.uk

To book your place quote code LON19NHSI.

In 2016 Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt launched new plans to reduce infections in the NHS. He announced government plans to halve the number of gram-negative bloodstream infections by 2020. The programme of actions included the Serious Infection CQUIN 2017-2019.

In London in February, 2019 together with 500 colleagues from across the “whole health economy” we will review the CQUIN results and look forward to see what progress is still required to achieve the 2020 targets. We will review the latest NHSE/PHE/NHSI reporting trends and share local best practice on subjects including Sepsis, E. coli, UTIs and SSIs. We will also showcase the latest industry innovations and technologies in our networking area.

Fully Funded delegate places (No charge to trust or individual) and Partially Funded (Discounted) for Public, Third and Independent Sectors carry an actual value/cost of £395.00+VAT. The funded and discounted places are awarded at the behest of the organisers Knowlex. The selection process includes a short telephone interview. Should you register online your booking is still subject to approval and is only regarded as an application.

As the places are funded they are subject to a non-attendance clause. Having accepted a place and should you subsequently be unable to join us on the day we ask for a minimum notice of cancellation of 48 hours prior to the event commencing. The place may be transferred to an appropriate colleague of similar position and status with the agreement of the organisers and subject to the recipient agreeing to the terms and conditions. Should the place be unused without cancellation or transfer the individual will become liable to a £100.00+VAT penalty charge.

If extenuating circumstances exist and communicated to the organisers prior to the event’s conclusion this may be waived (at the organiser’s discretion). A waiver cannot be granted post conference.

This penalty charge is to cover the cost of the catering which will have been pre ordered at a cost per head, and the event staff on the day.

Funded/discounted places are only available for those people working within a hospital/healthcare setting (hospital, clinic, CCG etc) and are not available to those within private sector industry organisations. Please note that any ticket sales are non-refundable. Should you wish to apply or for further clarification please contact our Delegate Team, who will be able to determine the correct tariff and assist with your booking.

Annual review 2015

Annual Review 2015

A good supply of clean, well presented linen remains an important factor in patient care.

Safely Reducing Costs, improving efficiency whilst improving patient care is one of the main objectives of the NHS. Costs and quality are not restricted to a laundry supply being delivered, as many Trusts have contracted out the laundry function knowledge of effective and safe distribution systems and linen storage is being lost, this may result in an increased linen management costs and the risk of linen being contaminated during storage.  Over the last year there have been a couple of reports from overseas of the link between an infection outbreak and poor linen storage, at the present time the evidence is unclear but the Society will continue to monitor reports and circulate this amongst members. There is a need for all Trusts to understand that there are elements, relating to the storage and distribution of linen, within the CFPP 01-04 guidance which still apply when laundry processing is contracted out.

The new National Framework for Laundry and Linen Services is currently being awarded; this is likely to result in a number of mini completions over the next year, potentially leading to changes in contractors.

The Review of Operational Productivity in NHS Providers by Lord Carter of Coles, DOH,2015, has compared the efficiencies of 22 Trust including Linen Services, it is stated that £4million could potentially be saved if the cohort studied moved to the average efficiency of their NHS peers.

The introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016 will not affect NHS run Laundries who currently pay NHS Agenda for Change rates, the feeling is that it will help even out staffing cost between the sectors. The challenge may be to have and retain a well-trained, motivated and effective workforce against the competition of better paid, and some would say easier, jobs elsewhere.

Within the NHS there is increasing movement towards New Care Models and Trusts working together and for the centralisation of specialist medical services, there is also increasing care in the community, pressures on beds in care homes and an increasingly elderly population, this all leads to changes in where patients are cared for and where linen is used.

For laundry providers linen loss and abuse remains a big issue, this can be challenged by working with nursing colleagues to address any practices which leads to reducing linen availability and costs for the provider.

During 2015 the Society held a successful training event in April; the papers were challenging and thought provoking. The task is to attract delegates and suppliers to this unique event despite pressures on time and finances. The 2016 Training Forum and Exhibition return to Stratford Manor, Stratford-upon-Avon on the 20th – 21st April 2016, information is available from www.linenmanager.co.uk

Lynn Fort,
National Secretary.