UK
The annual Society of Hospital Linen Services and Laundry Managers (SHLSLM) Forum is now under way, 28 September, in Stratford-upon-Avon. The SHLSLM annual professional development forum is a key event for NHS and commercial laundry and linen services professionals, hotel services and facilities managers involved in linen services as well as a wide range of allied traders.

The Forum kicked off with an informal networking event on the evening of Wednesday 27 September at the Stratford Manor Hotel.

The main programme has undergone a change since we first published. Instead of  hearing form Ollie Rix for an All Wales Laundry Update, the delegates heard a presentation by John C Lee – sales and services manager, UK & Ireland Bundle Laundry UK, which is upplying management software to many NHS hospital trusts, including All Wales.  The programme now reads:

• Laundry Management Systems
Martin Hartwigsen – Deister
In 2009 Martin became responsible for sales and marketing at Deister Electronic, a German based company for RFID solutions and in 2015 became the ‘Product Owner’ for the UHF reader with the task to build up our Laundry and textile solution program, called ‘Textag’.

• Bundle Laundry UK
John C Lee – Sales & Services Manager, UK & Ireland
John lives in Cheltenham, has been married for over 30 years and has two children. He moved to the US in the 1980s after receiving a university football scholarship and returned to the UK in 2015. He has been responsible for sales and service at Bundle Laundry, UK since 2022. Bundle is the leading supplier of smart productivity solutions for healthcare and commercial laundries.

• Estates and Facilities Day – A Celebration of FM Services
Dave Grimshaw – SHLSLM Chairman & General Manager, Salisbury Linen Services
Video presentation. The first National Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day was recognised on 15th June 2022, created by ahcp, HefmA, Hospital Caterers Association, IHEEM, Institute of Decontamination Services, NAHFO and The Society of Hospital Linen Services and Managers, with an estimated 8% of the NHS made up of Estates and Facilities staff. Dave Grimshaw reviews the celebrations from its second year, what the day is for and how you can get involved in 2024.

• NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative
Alistair Clay – Sustainability & Social Values Manager
Alastair is the Sustainability and Social Value Manager at NOE CPC. He has a background in both buying in private and public sector and most recently worked as the social value lead at NHS England.

• Fashion and Textile Childrens Trust
Anna Pangbourne – Chief Executive
The Fashion & Textile Children's Trust (FTCT) is the only organisation which supports the children of people working in the British fashion and textile industry. Since 1853, the Trust has been providing a lifeline to industry families for whom financial pressure has turned to financial crisis. Grants are available to fund essential items for children and young people, including school uniform, clothing, bedroom furniture and white goods. Grants can also fund specialist equipment and therapies for children with additional health or wellbeing needs.

• Net Zero Sustainability Working Group
With Net Zero and sustainability becoming an integral part of tenders and tender writing, and following feedback from last year’s forum, with your help, we will workshop the challenges, queries, and solutions that Laundries, Linen Providers and Suppliers are facing. With a significant percentage of the overall tendering score now dedicated to this, we aim to create a criteria to share and assist our members, as well as the frameworks and procurement partners.

• Open discussion hosted by the SHLSLM committee

The full Forum report will appear in the October edition of LCN, which is majoring on health care.

For all enquiries on SHLSLM, please email pr@textilemanager.co.uk