GOSH to bring cleaning and domestic services in-house from July 2021

Today, GOSH is announcing that cleaning and domestic services will be brought in-house after the current contract with external provider OCS comes to an end in July 2021.

Cleaning and domestic services are essential for a clean, welcoming hospital environment that’s safe from infection. This decision, which has been made by the Trust Board, is the best way to secure a high quality service for the future in line with the Trust’s values. The move follows similar decisions in the last 18 months to bring works and catering services in house at GOSH.

GOSH and OCS have worked closely together over the last four years. The process to bring cleaning and domestic services in house will take some time, and the teams involved are still finalising the details.

Other services will continue to be outsourced following the end of the current contract with OCS. A tender for these will be published in due course.

Speaking about the move, Zoe Asensio-Sanchez, Executive Director of Estates, Facilities and the Built Environment at GOSH, said:

“We’re pleased to announce this decision to bring our cleaning services in-house. We’ll be working closely with our OCS colleagues and the recognised trade unions to make this transition as smooth as possible.  We’ll share more details with all of our staff, including colleagues whose services continue to be outsourced, in due course. Every member of our workforce plays a vital role in caring for our patients. We remain committed to ensuring that all of our staff, including those who are not directly employed by the trust, feel fully valued and respected. We will keep our outsourced services under review to ensure we spend money wisely and deliver quality services in line with our values.“

The move to bring services in house will be managed through close collaboration between GOSH, OCS, and representatives from the domestic services team.