Serco signs FM and patient services deal with Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital
UK Chancellor Philip Hammond present as signed agreement reached for 12 service lines within the hospital
Serco and the Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital (DSFH) have signed an agreement to upgrade facilities management and patient-facing services at the hospital over the next five years. According to a statement, Serco has been working with the Jeddah-based hospital for the past six months to design a new integrated service methodology and develop plans for efficiencies and service improvements.
Following the signing ceremony, Serco and DSFH will begin delivery of the designs, which are expected to enhance the end-to-end patient experience and deliver cost savings and efficiencies behind the scenes.
The agreement was signed by Sanjay Shah, executive VP, DSFH, and Ahmad El Houri, GM, Serco Saudi Services, in the presence of the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Edward Gallagher, MD at Serco Middle East said, “Through years of specialist work in the healthcare market coupled with research done by Serco in the major hospitals we are working within, there is clear evidence behaviours, interactions and positivity with patients impact upon patient mood, experience and even time to recovery. Within our healthcare division, we deliver specialist training programmes for all staff who interact during the patient journey and deploy a unique set of standard operating practices for each service line which focus on how each patient interaction with our teams can further improve patient outcomes.”
The agreement covers twelve service lines within the hospital including: VIP services, maintenance planning and implementation, infection control, cleaning technology & QA, portering and helpdesk.
In addition, Serco is implementing a Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) system across all service lines. This automates and streamlines service delivery by scheduling tasks and coordinating staff using GPS enabled handheld devices, as well as providing detailed analysis of performance on each service line, allowing for continuous review and improvement. The approach is said to be quite new to the Middle East, which makes the hospital something of a pioneer.
DSFH’s Shah added, “In this digital era we aim to stay ahead of the curve for the benefit of our patients. We are really looking forward to taking our hospital to the next level with the introduction of a multitude of smart service lines provided by Serco. Our goals are aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program 2020, established to improve the quality of life in the Kingdom.”
Hammond concluded, “We are ambitious for growing trade and investment opportunities between the UK and Saudi Arabia. This new agreement is a positive example of British expertise benefiting the Kingdom and a demonstration of continued international confidence in the UK economy.”
