Developing competence, boosting expertise and skills

When working on yet another hospital maintenance task, whether in the switch or plant room, or mainstream medical locations, I recognise that it is easy to lose perspective on the value of the job in hand. However, as an experienced engineer myself, I know that for, say, a healthcare engineer or skilled estates technician working on the hospital estate, taking the patient’s perspective on elements such as the safety or cleanliness of the site, the importance of the job is quickly brought back into focus. 

I frequently consider this, not least as we read regularly of the huge pressures that the NHS is under, yet it is a service we, our family, and friends, cannot do without. We want to be reassured that all aspects of the experience are good, and that everything is working - whether that’s the lift taking a relative to the emergency department, or the medical gas valves in the theatre. As a training facility for nonclinical staff working mainly in hospitals, at Eastwood Park we consider the practical aspects of our training to be vitally important in developing the skills needed by those working in our hospitals today, in order to improve that ‘patient journey’, by delivering the best patient care and ensuring patient safety.

Patient journey focus