As preparations for a future vaccine continue, your practice and Primary Care Network may be involved. There are detailed specifications from NHSE/I for premises to be considered as vaccination sites so if you need advice or support on storage options, parking, entrances and exits, bringing space into use, help with social distancing measures or any other requirement in your building, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your portfolio manager.
We have already supported some of you with COVID-related premises changes such as alterations to create isolated areas, one-way flows and PPE storage. We are also able to explore longer-term extensions to buildings to help with your planning ahead, if you can already see challenges for the capacity you have.
Get in touch with your portfolio manager for a discussion about using your space to support distancing guidelines, alterations to future-proof your building, or if you’re looking for advice on installing items such as plastic screens, floor marking or signposting.
At this time it’s even more important to ensure frequent flushing of every water outlet to mitigate the risks associated with Legionella bacteria, so review your building occupancy/usage and increase flushing of all outlets with no and/or low water usage. Ensure that the fire alarm and sprinkler systems are tested every week and that your emergency light testing monthly and annual checks are in date, with remedial actions identified. Remember that statutory inspections of your lift and pressure systems will still need to take place, along with statutory programmed maintenance tasks. We will liaise with you to ensure that these can be scheduled at a convenient time.
Vacant areas in our buildings are being brought into use to help at this time and we’re here to advise on temporary reconfigurations if you need them. Get in touch with your portfolio manager directly or online. Public Health England’s information for primary care is here.
Public Health England’s information on this can be found here. Please let us know if your building has been designated as a hot site or future vaccination centre, so that we can make sure we’ve alerted any contractors due to attend your building to carry out urgent repairs or works.
We’ve postponed all routine, non-urgent building visits by our teams, although essential works and inspections will still go ahead to ensure primary care buildings can run effectively at this time. Otherwise, it’s business as usual and our team is working remotely to offer our full service to you. We’re here to help with any query you might have, either by phone or online. We are happy to arrange remote meetings for any more detailed issues you might need to discuss.
Our Assura Community Fund has been launched to support health-improving projects in your community. The fund, which was already planned for launch before the pandemic, has been boosted by a £2.5m donation we announced in April. The fund received more than 200 applications for a share of an initial £550,000 in grants and successful applicants are now being informed.
If you’re already one of our occupiers, use our tenant page to log maintenance issues or contact your support team. You’ll also have your usual portfolio manager’s direct contact details to use as normal.
If you’re within the NHS and would like to talk to us about space in our buildings/carparks to help with the emergency response, please get in touch here.
If you’re a new customer, email us and a member of the team will call you back.
If you need to send us an invoice, please email it citing the job location, date and reference rather than sending it by post right now.
