Page 39 - Yearbook 2020

DAVID BAUGHAN
National Property Manager, Public Health England
“At Public Health England (PHE), like many Central Government estates departments, our focus in 2020 was to ensure that premises required by our front line staff remained operational and safe so that they could continue to provide protection advice to local communities. This meant having discussions with landlords to implement key Covid-19 safety measures to secure these premises for immediate use and we are also looking at making more permanant changes to workplace layouts.
At PHE, 2021 is set to be a year of rapid change as we merge with NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre to form the National Institute for Health Protection by spring. As an estates team our mission will be to think about how we provide a
property portfolio that re ects the needs of a merged organisation. The new National Institute will also take on responsibility for the property management of testing sites nationwide which will be a signi cant undertaking.
Beyond that, we will also be looking at our of ce facilities to ensure they are ready to respond to the changing ways that we work. In a departure from traditional of ce workplaces we will, for example, look to increase meeting and exible work spaces which encourage collaboration. We will also continue scrutinising how our facilities are managed, to ensure a continuing focus on environmental considerations to re ect the need that all of us are going to have to play our part in reducing carbon emissions over the next decade.”
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