September 19, 2024
Congratulations to the Housekeeping team and their colleagues. Their recently achieved Gold CAP Award is a testament to their commitment to delivering a safe and clean environment for their patients.
Fantastic to see the smiles on their faces – Happy viewing……………
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September 17, 2024
Housekeeping Week is celebrated every second full week in September. This year, it takes place from September 8 to 14. Many are unaware of what it takes to do this job and Housekeepers Week aims to change that. Thousands of businesses come together to highlight the unseen efforts that go into this profession. This has become a way for them to thank, show appreciation, and reward their hard-working staff.
Housekeeping staff are often the unsung heroes. They ensure that facilities are clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone. During this week, the aim is to spotlight these professionals, offering them the appreciation and recognition they deserve. This week is dedicated to celebrating the vital contributions of housekeeping and environmental services professionals in maintaining cleanliness, safety and hygiene across various sectors.
The event features a series of activities, including training sessions, workshops, and awards to honour outstanding housekeeping teams and individuals.
By promoting awareness of the critical role of housekeeping, International Housekeeping Week encourages greater respect for these essential team members and highlights the importance of cleanliness in public health. This celebration is also a platform for advocating for better working conditions and professional development opportunities within the industry.
How will you and the housekeeping team be celebrating this event? It can be just a day of fun activity dedicated to recognising your staff, or a whole week of activity that culminates into a large ceremony where individuals throughout the entire business take a minute to thank the Housekeepers for a job well done.
As we approach this important week, it’s an opportunity to express gratitude to those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our environments safe and clean.
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September 3, 2024
A third successive CAP Platinum Award for the Hospital was the outcome from the latest unannounced assessment visit by the CAP Award Programme (Continuous Advancement Programme for Housekeeping). This is an incredibly inspiring achievement for the Housekeeping team and all involved at the Hospital.
The aim of the assessment visit is to experience the service being received by the patients, staff, visitors, and consultants. The standards of service, the team’s unity, and the supporting infrastructure all impressed in registering a third consecutive year at the PLATINUM CAP AWARD – a programme regarded as the highest measure of quality in, ‘safe best practices’ and service.
Congratulations to all involved – A fantastic achievement and so well deserved.
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August 1, 2024
The role of the housekeeping department in making or breaking a premise’s reputation and / or the customer experience should be apparent to all. But whether housekeeping as an activity gets the right kind of attention and rewards is a question often debated.
The general observation would be that it varies considerably.Does this therefore relate back to the opening comment of how the importance of the housekeeping service is actually seen?It should be seen as a valuable area of investment that underpins the premise’s reputation and customer experience.
The housekeeping team undertakes duties across the premises so are well positioned to add to operational policies and procedures.When the team’s voice is heard, the gains are only positive at both qualitatively and financially.
This is to comment on the first-hand experience within the programme where we regularly evidence the teams’ opinions having been gathered, their work applauded and their achievement’s celebrated. Not surprisingly, the premise’s reputation and the customer experience is enhanced plus staff retention shown to have improved – Simply said, value the housekeeping team and they will give ‘added value’ to the business.
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July 24, 2024
As the Schools break for their well-deserved summer holiday, let’s celebrate some successes.
Ipswich School has been quite simply stunning.This term saw them become the first UK School to achieve the PLATINUM CAP Award.The commitment and dedication brought home that much sought after Platinum Award for their catering services.Via their progression through three consecutive GOLD Awards, the quality of service coupled with astute financial management saw the catering team achieve the PLATINUM Award.
Within the housekeeping / cleaning services, the Creative Education Trust saw their Academies and School build on the previous year’s success and polished their way to further progressive improved cleaning scores across CET Estate – a brilliant achievement at unity and ‘team’.
Not to be outdone, mention must also be made of Battle Abbey School on achieving another UK first in gaining their third consecutive GOLD CAP Award – a first within the Education sector.
So many more to mention from all points of the compass. Suffice to say that common amongst them all though is the drive to improve the pupil experience via the standards of cleanliness, the quality and variety of the food offer coupled with a robust demonstration of ‘value for money’ for the investments being made into these two important services.
Enjoy the summer break and thank you on behalf of everyone who has benefited from your service delivery this year.
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June 21, 2024
Congratulations to the Catering Team at Spire Washington Hospital - This richly deserved award has been generated by the fantastic team spirit aligned to the enthusiasm to deliver exceptional patient care. ‘Probably’ one of the best flapjacks’ ever tasted was the verdict of the CAP Assessor in tandem with an extremely tasty hot chicken ziti.
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April 18, 2024
Within our roles at the CAP Programme, we are honoured to meet the fantastic and enthusiastic housekeeping and catering teams.The power of the togetherness and drive of these groups is spellbinding to see in action as they deliver their services.
Coupled in unison with the other departments on the premises, it is special – a very, very strong sense of together and belonging.Experiencing this recently at hospitals in Birmingham, Norwich and Reading plus schools in Gorleston and Wellingborough reminds you of the power of ‘team’.
So many quotes on the value of ‘team’ to dwell upon – Just ponder on the words and think of your ‘team’
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." – Henry Ford
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson.
My favourite at even better than the ‘three musketeers’ - "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. " ~ H.E. Luccock
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March 7, 2024
As noted during a recent assessment visit, the above quote was posted in the Housekeeping team’s room. On asking the team about the quote, each and every one reeled off a series of examples on using the quote as part of their mind-set to navigate past the daily obstacles. In some cases, this was smarter use plus trial of new equipment, others at the use of humour to defuse a situation and also to ‘open and informative’ communications with the different users of the premises to create a better understanding of everyone’s contribution to ‘Total Housekeeping.’
The ‘team’ voice was very much at thinking how could they work smarter in their physically and mentally demanding role whilst growing the team and being better.
This last point is impressive at the attitude at being better. What were they doing – SIMPLE in so many ways – Each and every one lists any obstacle encountered as part of their overall day. Examples were at poor lighting on arrival at work in the early hours, litter spotted internally and externally, poor access for cleaning, repetitive ‘manual’ tasks that could be mechanised and in effective communications.
Not every solution that they landed on worked such as the trial of the robot window cleaner. As a ‘team,’ they have shown and believe that they have grown and are better. A fantastic testament to their attitude.
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February 19, 2024
Fantastic to see and hear of the teams working together to deliver their ultimate performances.
What do the Beacon Hospital and St Luke’s Care Home attribute their success to - their team spirit, enjoyment and unity plus a robust support infrastructure working for the common goal – Their Platinum Award
"Many congratulations to all involved.”
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January 15, 2024
Looking back at 2023 and we suspect forwards into 2024 and beyond, the most frequently asked question of us is about the highlights. There are of course many such as how the teams celebrate their various achievements, seeing the housekeeping and catering teams being embraced by their whole work community, and the growth of the individual and team ‘swagger’.All are fantastic to hear about and experience in their own rights.
However, we do all agree that it is quite similar to seeing the progression of the service. As the saying goes, ‘everyone is a winner’ from recognition for those housekeeping and catering teams delivering the service, their workplace colleagues for their contributions to the delivery of the full-service expectations, and reinforcement of the premise’s reputation for quality.
As we move into 2024, we all will continue to seek out progression i.e. the act of progressing; forward or onward movement: a passing successively from one member of a series to the next; succession; sequence.
Remember it also keeps the CAP team smiling – Looking forward to a great 2024 with all of the members – you are brilliant with your ambition, competitiveness, and determination to do the very best for all.
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