Leading corporate services provider, NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has launched a new framework agreement, Building Safety and Fire Compliance, to address the need for robust fire safety systems in healthcare settings.
This comes as healthcare buildings across England face mounting infrastructure challenges, emphasising the need for fire safety, building maintenance, and compliance across NHS estates and the wider public sector.
The framework agreement provides a full compliance offer, including active and passive fire safety, fire risk assessment, and consultancy services, essential to mitigate risks such as life hazards, liability, operational disruption, reputational damage, and legal penalties.
Brendan Griffin-Ryan, NHS SBS senior category manager, highlighted the urgency:
“The increased emphasis on fire safety brought about by the dreadful Grenfell Tower disaster has shown that some NHS buildings fail to meet modern safety standards and underscores why fire safety compliance and protocols are paramount.”
NHS England estimates the cost to eradicate the NHS maintenance backlog at £13.8bn, surpassing the £13.6bn total cost of running the NHS estate. The National Audit Office reported 5,400 clinical incidents in 2023-2024 due to infrastructure failures and poor conditions. Trust documents reveal deficiencies risking fires, floods, electrical failures, and hazardous material exposure.
Government recognition of this issue led to a £1bn funding boost for essential repairs and upgrades, with £102m earmarked for the first phase of GP surgery upgrades. The New Hospital Programme, backed by £15bn, aims to modernise NHS buildings over several phases.
NHS SBS’s framework agreement allows procurement teams to access vetted suppliers for specialist services like asbestos management, legionella treatment, authorising engineers, and fire safety, quickly and compliantly. It includes suppliers from multinationals to regional small and medium-sized enterprises.
Griffin-Ryan concludes:
“The NHS must prioritise fire safety to prevent incidents similar to Grenfell from occurring in healthcare settings, where the impact could be catastrophic.
Our framework agreement provides the NHS with a comprehensive range of services. It aligns with key health and safety regulations—ensuring seamless integration and adherence to all compliance in critical areas like fire safety, water treatment, and asbestos management, crucial for maintaining the safety and integrity of NHS buildings, protecting patients, staff, and visitors.”
For more information, contact the NHS SBS team at: [email protected].
For more information about NHS SBS framework agreements click: Framework Agreements | NHS SBS
About NHS SBS
NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) was created in 2004 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver corporate services to the NHS. A unique joint venture with Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital services and software development, we make life easier for NHS employees, patients and suppliers, and deliver value for money to the taxpayer.
Proud members of the NHS family, we provide finance & accounting, procurement, workforce, digital and expert advisory services to more than half the NHS in England. Committed to being a force for good, NHS SBS is dedicated to acting responsibly and sustainably at organisational, team and individual level. Sharing common values and unity of purpose with the rest of the NHS family, our solutions are underpinned by cutting-edge technologies and our teams’ expertise, in-depth understanding of the NHS, and commitment to service excellence.
For more information, please visit www.sbs.nhs.uk