Investments in CCTV to keep hospital patients and staff safe

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole, has appointed Bidvest Noonan as its new car parking and security operator.

There will be no changes in how the car parks operate - patients and visitors who receive concessions do not need to do anything to ensure they still receive their discount and staff do not need to change their permits.

The Trust recently announced that Blue Badge Holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts would all start receiving free parking in line with a government commitment.

Jug Johal, director of estates and facilities, said: “A key focus when we tendered for the new contract was to secure investment to be able to carry out significant upgrades to our CCTV systems.

"We provide 24/7 security on site and the safety of staff and those seeking treatment has always been, and will continue to be, the number one priority for our car parking and security teams. The investment in CCTV will see more cameras installed with better quality images which will contribute to everyone’s safety on site.”

Adrian Canale, business development director said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the new contractor for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. This is a very exciting time for Bidvest Noonan as we start our new partnership with the Trust and continue to build upon the great work already provided.

“The safety and security of staff, patients and assets across each location remains a vital part of our solution and offering. Our ability to be agile, flexible, and creative is made possible by the very solid and robust systems and processes that anchor our service.

“We have an appetite to drive standards and add value, which will be driven from the outset. We build long-term partnerships with our clients who are committed to excellence as much as we are. We proudly work with companies who are open to new ideas and processes to improve the working environment for their staff and visitors, which forms the basis of our new partnership with the Trust.”

Staff currently employed by the outgoing provider, ISS Mediclean, will be offered the chance to TUPE across to Bidvest Noonan.

Mr Johal paid tribute to ISS for their support during a 20-year partnership, which has seen many developments in parking technology.

He said: “We have been working with ISS since 1998 and in that time parking technology has come on in leaps and bounds and ISS have always embraced that: we started with pay and display machines, then moved to ‘pay on foot’ technology and now our car parks benefit from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).

“A major focus for us and ISS has always been preventing and responding to violence and aggression and doing out utmost to keep our staff, patients and visitors safe whilst on our sites.

"In the time we have worked together we have introduced body cameras for all our security staff and have developed strong working relationships with local authorities and the Police. This has led to many successful convictions against those who have carried out attacks against the dedicated staff who are caring for our patients.

“I want to thank ISS for their contribution to keeping everyone safe on our sites and for their drive in bringing improvements to the service.”

The new five year contract with Bidvest Noonan starts from July.