Estates and Facilities teams are responsible for managing the safe, well-maintained and functional running of the county’s two acute hospitals.

27 June 2025

Often working unnoticed in the background, the Estates and Facilities staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) play a vital role in maintaining, keeping safe and improving our working environments to keep our staff and patients safe and comfortable.

The spotlight was recently put on the work that they do during Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day.

Estates and Facilities represent 8% of the NHS workforce in England and Wales.

The staff work within different teams: Estates Operations, Medical Engineering Services (MES), Capital Projects, Catering, Cleaning, Business Support, Fire and Safety, Portering, Property Management, Logistics and Transport and Sustainability to name but a few.

Interesting facts about the work carried out by Estates and Facilities at SaTH:

  • In one year, over one million hot meals are served to patients at both hospitals
  • Enough teas and coffees are served in one year to fill almost two and a half Olympic sized swimming pools
  • 216,320 litres of semi skimmed milk per year are purchased, which is the equivalent yield from 27 dairy cows
  • Nearly 6,300 hours are spent weekly cleaning both hospitals
  • Estates completed over 30,000 requests for work to be carried out
  • Over 22,000 planned maintenance tasks were also completed by Estates
  • MES maintain over 33,000 items ensuring they are safe and operational for our patients.
  • In one year, we have moved 64,141 patients around our hospitals to support patient care
  • Our Transfer Team has also moved 6,861 patients and items such as medical notes and pharmacy prescriptions to support patient discharges.

As well as maintaining the existing sites, in the last 12 months the Estates and Facilities teams have been involved in major projects, including the opening of the Elective Surgery Hub at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH), along with a new gamma camera unit, which will increase capacity for cancer scanning and reduce waiting times for patients, at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

One of the teams is domestic services, which are the lifeblood of the NHS ensuring that all areas are kept clean and hygienic.

Hayley Roberts, pictured below, joined the Trust as a Cleanliness Technician in 2016. She was quickly made to feel part of the team. Her responsibilities increased to isolation and Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour decontamination cleans.

In 2022 she started a supervisor role and began an apprenticeship in team management.

She said “Having left school with a few GCSEs, learning again in my forties has been daunting and challenging at times but it has also given me the confidence to use a new set of skills. I have a really enjoyed it and appreciated the opportunity to do this.

“At the start of the year I started a secondment as cleanliness co-ordinator, I am enjoying my new role and learning a great deal.”

Facilities provide a wide range of catering services to suit SaTH needs. Our menus have been designed to offer a selection of nutritional meals which cater for all dietary needs.

Kerry Wood, pictured right, works as the Assistant Catering Manager at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH). As well as ensuring the smooth running of the department, she has worked with other colleagues to ensure they are up to date with their training needs.

She said: “I have worked in several positions in my career at SaTH. I started as a catering assistant, moving on to assistant supervisor before my current role of assistant catering manager.

“I have felt supported in all my roles as management encourage staff to further their training. Having worked at both hospital sites I am keen to continue my professional development, with the support of my fantastic colleagues.”

Mark Leighton, pictured below, is the Waste and Energy Manager and is driving improvement to reduce the financial cost and carbon emissions produced by the disposal of waste. The changes he has made have resulted in a cost saving of £38,000 in one year.

Mark said: “It would not have been possible to implement these changes without the help and outstanding commitment from cleanliness, portering, housekeeping and clinical

staff throughout the Trust.”

Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive at SaTH, said: “I would like to thank everyone in our Facilities and Estates teams; they work tirelessly to ensure smooth running of our hospitals.

“Patients are at the heart of what we do, whether it is moving them safely between the wards, ensuring appropriate nutrition or making sure that the hospital is clean and hygienic, and all the buildings and equipment are appropriately maintained.

“When thinking of a hospital, people often think first of the clinical staff, however, a hospital would not be able to run without these essential services.

“I would also like to thank the Estates and Facilities teams who worked tirelessly earlier this week, to fix a burst water pipe at the Princess Royal Hospital. Their efficiency and teamwork embodied our Trust values.”