Today Serco, the leading FTSE 250 outsourcing firm, and Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital (DSFH) announced a partnership agreement to transform facilities management and patient-facing services at the hospital in Jeddah over the next five years. Serco has been working with this leading hospital group for six months to design a new integrated service methodology, developing plans for major efficiencies and service improvements. From today, Serco and DSFH willq commence delivery of those designs, enhancing the end-to-end patient experience as well as delivering major cost savings and efficiencies behind the scenes.

The agreement covers twelve service lines within the hospital including: VIP services, maintenance planning and implementation, infection control, cleaning technology & QA, portering and helpdesk. In addition, Serco is implementing a Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) system across all service lines. This automates and streamlines service delivery by scheduling tasks and coordinating staff using GPS enabled handheld devices, as well as providing detailed analysis of performance on each service line, allowing for continuous review and improvement. This approach is still relatively new to the Middle East region, allowing the hospital to be among the first of its kind.

It is anticipated these new methods of working will result in improved performance management and increased levels of care and patient satisfaction, as has happened within other Serco healthcare projects globally. The hospital itself will benefit from a 30 per cent decrease in the need for reactive maintenance and a 20 per cent improvement in asset availability throughout the facility.

The agreement was signed by Sanjay Shah, Executive Vice President, DSFH, and Ahmad El Houri, General Manager, Serco Saudi Services, in the presence of the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Edward Gallagher, Managing Director at Serco Middle East, said: “Through years of specialist work in the healthcare market coupled with research done by Serco in the major hospitals we are working within, there is clear evidence behaviours, interactions and positivity with patients impact upon patient mood, experience and even time to recovery. Within our healthcare division, we deliver specialist training programmes for all staff who interact during the patient journey and deploy a unique set of standard operating practices for each service line which focus on how each patient interaction with our teams can further improve patient outcomes.

“We are delighted to announce our agreement today to deliver innovative changes in partnership with Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital and its outstanding, forward-thinking leadership. We welcome both the public and private sector ambition in Saudi Arabia to further improve and build healthcare capabilities, and we are committed to continue our growth in the Kingdom as a key partner for those looking to lead in innovation and efficiency.”

Sanjay Shah added: “In this digital era we aim to stay ahead of the curve for the benefit of our patients. We are really looking forward to taking our hospital to the next level with the introduction of a multitude of smart service lines provided by Serco. Our goals are aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program 2020, established to improve the quality of life in the Kingdom.”

Philip Hammond said: “We are ambitious for growing trade and investment opportunities between the UK and Saudi Arabia. This new agreement is a positive example of British expertise benefiting the Kingdom and a demonstration of continued international confidence in the UK economy.”