Micad say its Room Utilisation Module (RUM) has seen increased sales over the past 12 months, a trend it feels is ‘no doubt a result of the current changing face of the NHS estate’.
The demand for the company’s ‘multi-disciplined’ core Internet Property Register (IPR) also apparently remains high, with over 50% of NHS Trusts now using the software to assist with the operational and technical management of their estates and property maintenance.
Micad says space considered as ‘free’ is now ‘fast disappearing’, as a demand for improved space utilisation appears to be high on today’s estates agenda. The company elaborates: “The emerging reorganisation of the national estate has highlighted the need for data on space and space utilisation, with such information having never been at such a premium. Even where up-to-date drawings and space data are available, there is a new set of space parameters that need to be addressed in order to successfully re-plan the estate.
“This has led to growing use of ‘room timetabling’ and ‘departmental cross-charging’ – words that are sending a shockwave through those personnel who that have ridden the wave of a laissez-faire attitude towards ‘free’ space. This emerging trend is, however, music to the ears of the financial planners. Like it or not, the notion of timetabling and charging for space is here to stay.”
As a ‘leader’ in NHS estates software, Micad says it saw fit to pre-empt the need for these significant culture changes, and, three years ago, it began engineering a ‘bespoke solution’. The company’s Room Utilisation Module (RUM) enables the timetabling, booking, and departmental cross-charging of space through the ‘mapping out’ of:
• Sessional requirements: for both recurring & non-recurring booking, e.g. clinics.
• Dedicated space – e.g. operating theatres and dentist’s rooms.
• Permanently allocated space, for example cellular offices.
• ‘Hot desking’ / ‘Hoteling’, e.g. timetabled individual workplaces)
Using space records driven by Micad’s ‘core ‘Internet Property Register (IPR), the RUM allows all the above space requirements to be planned out for each building. ‘Opportunity space,’ such as that freed up by extended holidays and sickness absence, can be identified and allocated, thereby significantly increasing utilisation. This ‘visibility’ is viewed by the system administrator using a traditional ‘timetable view’, and even via a CAD plan, where bookings are graphically represented using colour to identify booked or non-allocated space.
Rooms or desks can be requested via a request / search engine which is ‘bolted onto’ a Trust’s Intranet. Details are e-mailed directly to the accommodation manager(s), at which point the where the request can then be qualified. This entirely automated process requires no site visit or phone calls. ‘Timetabling is a continuous process that provides senior managers with a way forward’.
Fig 1 Sessional Timetable View
Bookings can include departmental charges, exceptions, and ‘room associations’ where additional space may be required at the point of booking. There is also a fully user-definable audit facility that enables the on-site live status of bookings to be checked, validated, and reported on.
Micad says: “With utilisation rates in many Trust departments significantly below 50%, and the cost of space ranging from £200 - £1,200 per m2 / annum, the potential payback is likely to be significant. However, it is not just through increased patient throughput that space can generate increased revenue, but also via the rationalisation of the estate.”
For more information on how the NHS is succeeding with ‘timetabling’ using RUM, contact Micad: E-mail: info@micad.co.uk or T: 0161 927 9573.
