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Serco wins early extension of hotel services contract at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Published: 28 Nov 2013

Serco has won a three-year extension to its hotel services contract with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The extension is worth £42 million and means that the contract will now continue until September 2019

Employing 650 people in Plymouth, Serco provides a range of facilities management services, including:

  • cleaning services (with more than 150 audits per month - 90% accompanied by client) 
  • patient catering (more than 50,000 meals a month) 
  • retail catering (restaurant and four cafe outlets, plus catering for functions) 
  • portering services (including moving patient and equipment, linen, waste and specimen collection and delivery) 
  • helpdesk (taking about 11,000 calls a month)

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust is the largest Trust in the south west peninsula and provides secondary and tertiary healthcare to a population of more than 450,000. More than 48,000 people pass through the main entrance of Derriford Hospital in a week and it has more than 900 inpatient beds.

It is also a teaching Trust, in partnership with the Peninsula Medical School. Retaining the naval heritage of Plymouth, the Trust has an integrated Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit. It has a staff of approximately 220 military personnel, who work in a variety of posts from lead doctors to trainee medical assistants.

Nick Pugh, Serco's partnership director for health enabling services, said: "We are working in partnership with the Trust to realise their vision of making Derriford the top hospital in the UK. Due to our excellent operational performance and the potential to maximise our commercial partnership, this agreement has been accelerated by three years. This will see the relationship gather momentum, and we are already talking about the integration or transfer of new services."

Plymouth Hospitals' chief executive, Ann James, said: "The services provided by Serco are extremely important to our patients and staff and we are committed to maintaining a contract which gives high levels of service and value for money."