Forbes continues to support NHS clients during COVID-19.

Amongst these extremely testing times of global pandemic, Forbes has been navigating their way to ensure that we can continue to provide and service essential appliances for our clients. We work extensively within the healthcare sector and a number of our NHS premises and care homes have found themselves requiring new commercial laundry equipment during the national lockdown. We have also been approached by new clients who have found themselves with urgent requirements at this time.

On the back of a referral, we were recently contacted by The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn. They were needing to replace their existing 11kg Electrolux laundry equipment. The machines were not working as they should and the hospital had decided that they had a requirement for larger drum capacities within their laundry room. Our Commercial Manager, Glenn Cooke, liaised directly with the hospital’s procurement team as well as their Domestic Manager. Glenn arranged for us to conduct a complimentary site survey, as is our standard practice. Our surveys enable us to ascertain the specific requirement; assessing the plumbing infrastructure and electrical provision as well as our access logistics. At this current time, we are closely monitoring all of the latest government guidelines, and amending our processes to ensure full compliance. Our engineers are provided with the necessary PPE and are adhering to the requisite social distancing measures. Whilst we have a large number of office staff working remotely, we are still coordinating swift and efficient responses for both new and existing clients.

After receiving our comprehensive survey feedback, Glenn referred back to the hospital and it was concluded that Miele's 13kg PW413s provided the ideal solution. They are robust and durable commercial machines that offer both sluice and thermal disinfection to comply with the stringent hygiene standards. Within 5 working days of receipt of the purchase order, we dispatched three of our engineers to deliver, install and commission the equipment. These are heavy machines that required a hydraulic pump truck for safe manoeuvring. We also needed to remove the laundry room door to enable access, as previously identified in the survey. However, the installation was seamlessly completed within one day, with the door replaced and any waste removed in complete accordance with WEEE directives. The Queen Mary Hospital purchased the equipment with a seven year maintenance agreement. As such, they will have the peace of mind afforded by our highly responsive service support for the duration of the contract.