Celebrating hidden hospital heroes
Without the often-unseen help of catering, sterile services, domestic services, grounds and gardens, medical equipment management services and portering, hospitals would not function.
These dedicated teams keep the hospital working. From transporting patients and collecting blood to managing switchboard and supporting department moves, no two days are the same.
In one year domestics will provide 1.3 million hours of cleaning, nearly nine million laundry items are washed, there are over 1.5 million meals served by catering, around 4.2 million surgical instruments are cleaned by sterile services, and during one 7.5-hour shift each porter will walk an average of 22,456 steps.
They are collectively known as Estates and Facilities Management and for National Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day (Wednesday 17 June) Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating some of those hidden heroes and everything they do to keep its hospitals running.
Hospital domestic role for man who was homeless has meant a clean start 
Sean Mayo, from Westcliff, has been a domestic at Southend Hospital for over three years. It’s a role that he enjoys and has also helped give him huge confidence after he found himself homeless for two weeks and having to live on the beach.
With the help of homeless charity HARP and the Trust’s Anchor programme, he got his role at the hospital, making him one of over 1,500 people working as part of the Estates and Facilities Team.
Sean said: “Getting this role has helped me tremendously. It has been a fantastic step for me as it is just nice to feel part of a team, and it’s great working for the NHS knowing that, although it is largely unseen, I’m integral to hygiene and doing my bit to keep patient care running and helping staff.
“It’s really helped bring me out of my shell, given me a boost of confidence and it’s nice to have a sense of camaraderie with domestics, as well as ward and theatre staff.
“By sharing my story, I hope to show others in a similar situation that there is help available and that, although it may not seem it at the time, there is a way back and positives to look forward to. I’ve found that here and really enjoy my role and working with such a nice group of people.”
Talking telephone numbers 
Anne Potten, from Hockley, has been a reassuring constant at the heart of the Southend switchboard since December 2020.
She said: “What I love most about my role is talking to people, offering a personal touch, and helping resolve problems - whether that’s guiding someone through booking an appointment or calming a worried caller. No two days are ever the same, and I enjoy that unpredictability.”
She’s become familiar with countless voices across the Trust - patients, doctors, and regular callers who recognise her warmth instantly.
After 4pm, and on weekends and bank holidays, the switchboard team at Southend also fields calls for the general office, handling everything from doctors’ accommodation keys to bleeps.
Anne is skilled at putting people at ease and getting them where they need to be. Nine times out of ten, callers come back satisfied because she’s taken the time to guide them properly.
As one of 14 operators in Southend, including night staff, she supports a wide range of needs, from older people who can’t sleep and call for a chat, families anxious about loved ones in A&E, or people simply unsure about appointment times the following day. She is, in many ways, the voice of the Trust.
As that voice, one particular moment stays with her. Anne said: “I was comforting a distressed husband whose wife was in hospital. He was really stressed and worried, but by the end, we were laughing together. He told me I had made him smile on one of his darkest days.”
For Anne, that is what makes everything worthwhile, treating every caller – and there have been over 135,000 in Southend alone between January and the end of May - as she would want her own family to be treated.