Erskine is a renowned veterans’ charity that provides care for ex-service men and women in Scotland. Founded in 1916, the charity opened the first Erskine Hospital, The Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Limbless Sailors and Soldiers, to care for those who were wounded in the First World War. Since then, the charity has cared for over 85,000 individuals and Erskine is now known as Scotland’s foremost provider of care for veterans and their spouses.
The charity prides itself on its provision of unrivalled nursing, residential, respite and dementia care at its four homes. Always striving to offer the best care, the charity’s vision is ‘to be recognised as the leading ex-service charity in Scotland’.
The search for a maintenance provider
In 2011, Erskine was looking for a facilities partner that would provide its four care homes with a high standard of maintenance services to keep the homes comfortable and safe for residents. The Servest Arthur McKay team proposed a tailored, cost-effective and high-quality solution for services including planned and reactive mechanical and electrical maintenance, compliance management, fabric maintenance, 24/7 helpdesk, water hygiene, grounds and landscaping maintenance, as well as minor and major project work. Following a competitive tender, in which Servest Arthur McKay scored an unprecedented 98.8%, the team was awarded the contract.
A pro-active, unobtrusive approach
Aware that the residents come first, the Servest Arthur McKay team’s priority was to start what would become a very detailed review of Erskine’s functions. The focus was to get the balance between carrying out necessary maintenance, whilst ensuring the residents were unaffected. A few months into the contract, after gaining a thorough understanding of the building’s requirements, the team implemented a more structured, pro-active approach that would work around the care home’s schedules and minimise disruption.
To support the pro-active maintenance, a lifecycle approach was adopted, whereby the team provided accurate forecasts for when major overhauls or plant replacements would be required. This enabled the charity to plan for future capital expenditure, whilst minimising the risk of unforeseen failures. Pro-active planning was welcomed by Erskine because as a charity, with tight budgets, the approach assists them with the allocating funds and helps to minimise disruption to residents.
The continuation of a thriving partnership
Erskine was impressed by the team’s fresh approach to how it delivered maintenance services, finding it set them apart from the competition, so when the charity came to retender the contract in 2015, it re-appointed Servest Arthur McKay following a thorough competitive tender exercise for a further four years (plus one year optional extra). In addition to the existing services provided, the new contract incorporated Servest Arthur McKay’s innovative energy management solution, which promised significant savings for the charity.
Since the renewal, the relationship between the organisations has strengthened, with Servest Arthur McKay being presented a medal of recognition as a thank you for its continued support. The medal was given in response to Servest Arthur McKay’s work at the homes and support for Erskine’s Golf Day & Dinner charity, which raises an incredible amount for the charity.
Looking to the future
Servest Arthur McKay will continue to work closely with Erskine to make efficiencies and maintain the care homes to the expected standard. Building on the partnership, the team endeavours to use open and honest communications to make continuous improvement to the environment of the care homes for residents, staff and visitors.
