New facilities matron to improve standards for Manchester NHS

Yvonne Spencer, previously a ward manager at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, has joined Sodexo from the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a 12-month secondment. 

Sodexo runs a range of services for the Trust, including cleaning, portering and patient dining, together with site maintenance, security and facilities management. Spencer’s role is to be the link between clinical teams on the wards and Sodexo service teams, to ensure high levels of service.

Acting on feedback about food and ensuring wards achieve the highest cleanliness standards are two key areas which Spencer is focusing on. Spencer also meets every week with domestic services staff and clinical staff to ensure cleaning standards are met, and supports the work of the Trust's infection control team.

"Every day is different, and I'm enjoying the opportunity to work with colleagues throughout the Trust," added Spencer. "I understand the challenges facing ward staff, and also the practical demands of providing 4,000 patient meals and cleaning 350,000 square metres every day. By sharing good practice and improving standards, I'm keen to promote strong partnership working that benefits patients by providing high quality care to the one million plus patients treated here every year."

Phil Jones, Sodexo healthcare service director at the Trust, said:  "Yvonne is the ideal person to develop this new role, and we are confident her work will make a real difference to both patients and colleagues. She is a friendly and helpful presence on the wards, listening to both compliments and complaints and making sure we respond effectively." 

Cheryl Lenney, director of nursing at the Trust, is delighted to support the role of facilities matron and commented: "Yvonne’s role is an absolutely crucial interface for the Sodexo/Trust partnership and she is already making a difference not only to patients and families but also to developing a stronger team culture in the wards. She complements the role of the infection control team and the ward managers and is an additional support for the hotel services assistants on the wards."