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On Friday 29th May we held the first ICW Thought Leadership online interactive forum. It was a great success with over 25 participants, all of whom made valuable contributions on how collaboration will develop in the future.

The session was led by Frank Lee from BSI - a Fellow of the Institute - and by our COO David Hawkins.

Key points that came out included a view that collaboration will become more and more valuable and relevant in the future and will continue to deliver value when applied effectively, but the nature of the value derived may well change as we understand how a collaborative environment brings business benefits, not just in traditional cost and efficiency measures but through increased welling, staff retention, sustainable business models and improved environmental and performance and profile.

The forum also focused on developments in collaborative competence and particularly the competencies to be a collaborative leader in the new post COVID world where relationships will have to be developed with less face-to-face interaction; the need for greater upfront effort in partner selection; the importance of culture, of understanding through rigorous internal assessment the profile of your organisation to collaborate and the cultural fit you will need with a potential partner.

Frank also led a short discussion on the importance of ethical partnering ensuring that your partner shares your commitment to human rights, sustainability, equality, habitat protection and diversity.

Given the success of this event we plan to hold more similar events in the future. The next is focused on Collaborative Leadership, on 4th June, 10:00-12:00.

14 May 2020

The annual ICW House of Lords Reception on 14 May had been booked since 2019 and is a regular feature of the ICW calendar. The arrival of coronavirus, lockdown and social distancing soon put a stop to an event that normally attracts over 200 people, but the team at ICW were not to be so easily put off.

In collaboration with one of our ICW Ambassadors, BSI, the event was hosted with a bit of a difference. The 'Not at the House of Lords' reception was transformed into an online event with some significant speakers and even included the presentation of certificates.

It was an opportunity to show members and guests that, whilst life may have changed significantly for millions of people both in their personal and working lives, the principles of collaborative working are even more important during this time.

The reception is the second that I have attended as Chief Executive and we have made so much progress in the last year since I spoke at the event at the House of Lords in May 2019. We had promised some significant changes to the structure of our organisation, the way we communicate and the work that we do to drive engagement in collaborative working, including the launch of new Special Interest Groups. Our online event was an opportunity to update members on all of this progress.

The event was opened by ICW Chairman Lord Evans, who introduced some of the key themes of the work of the ICW team and members especially during the current crisis. In keeping with his annual tradition, he recited a poem he had written entitled 'Heroes', which paid tribute to the NHS staff on the front line.

We were also joined by some superb speakers with a real understanding of collaborative working across the public sector. Coleen Andrews, the Director of Markets and Suppliers at the Cabinet Office, joined us to talk about the importance of collaboration across the public sector, especially at this time of global pandemic. With many of our members working with government and especially through the Cabinet Office, they were particularly keen to hear how Coleen viewed the opportunities for collaborative working.

Another guest speaker, Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of NHS confederation, talked about his experience of collaboration in the NHS and the importance of systems working together. The pandemic has created opportunities for new ways of working and has accelerated the use of technology in the NHS.

Martin Townsend, Global Head of Sustainability at BSI, reminded us in his presentation of the value of collaborative working to build global sustainability.

Awarding certificates is a key part of our annual reception, and not even a pandemic was going to disrupt this opportunity to recognise those companies that have been successful in obtaining ISO44001 - Devonport Royal Dockyards Ltd, Sellafield Ltd and Capita. David Hawkins virtually presented the certificates and we were delighted to be able to recognise this achievement amongst the ICW community. David also awarded a certificate of validation as part of our consultant affiliation scheme to Axon, together with a certificate to BM Trada who have been certified in the ISO 44001 validation scheme.

We took the opportunity to update our community on the launch of the Annual Collaboration Awards, which are now open for submissions across a number of different categories. We have a number of events planned, some of which are online, for the coming months.

Every summer the ICW launches its publication The Partner. Despite the lockdown and disruption, we did not want to stop, though we have been unable to arrange for printed copies at this time. We used the online event to launch our digital version of The Partner and this can be downloaded on PDF or viewed online. This year the focus is on Collaborative Leadership with some superb insight from a number of our ICW Ambassadors and leads of the Special Interest Groups.

We will be making the full recording of the event available in the next few days and hope that you will return here to view it.

Over the past weeks ICW has been linking up on various fronts through technology.

15th April ICW supported Warwick University teaching 30 students across China as part of their MSc programme on Reputation and relationships.

17th April David Hawkins our COO held a 2-hour talk hosted by BSI China to hundreds of business government people providing insight to the work of ICW and the potential in these difficult times to harness the power of collaborative working. This was the prelude to a series of online courses planned for May.

21st April The ISO committee for ISO 44001, chaired by David Hawkins and supported by members of the ICW community, held its first virtual meeting as a result of having to cancel the planned meeting in Ottawa focused on moving forward ISO 44003 principles for SME collaboration. A further virtual meeting is scheduled for the end of April to progress the ISO 44004 guidance for larger organisations working with SMEs.

22nd April David Hawkins was online providing the keynote address to a joint webinar of CiiWA and ICW Portugal, addressing collaborative working in the light of CoVID-19 and the challenges and risks associated with the rush to go online and the impact of cyber security.

David Hawkins and Alan Maund were the ICW presence at BSi's Annual Standards e-Conference Spring 2020 on 23rd April.

Originally planed to be held at the Central Hall, Westminster, BSi decided to continue with holding it but take it on to Zoom and hold it as an e-Conference.

Instead of having stands for the Knowledge Market, each exhibitor was allocated an e-Brakeout room where delegates could drop in to meet David and Alan.

It worked well as you could talk to a number of visitors all at the same time and hold interactive discussions with delegates. We were definitely busier than we would have been with just the normal stand.

David Hawkins will be speaking at the online webinar 'How to collaborate wisely during the Covid-19 Pandemic', jointly run by CIIWA and ICW Portugal. David will join Fernando Amorim, Executive Member of CIIWA, Pedro Duarte, CEO of Shift Consulting and Bruno Marques, vice-president of CIIWA and director of ICW Portugal. The webinar will be moderated by Paolo Viegas Nunes, President of CIIWA.

Find out more »

Catherine Macleod from element has shared what their sister company FIRA International are doing:

UKAS-accredited testing house FIRA International, and service provider to the Furniture Industry Research Association, has been supporting the new NHS Nightingale hospitals by providing free flammability testing for Rivertex Technical Fabrics Group, who are supplying material for Nightingale medical mattresses.

FIRA International tested the materials to BS 7175:1989 Methods of test for the ignitability of bedcovers and pillows by smouldering and flaming ignition sources, which included a Crib 5 test, classed as medium hazard.

Speaking on their work for the NHS Nightingale hospitals, Guy Lynch, Managing Director at Rivertex Technical Fabrics Group, said "Our Rivertex® 500FR polyester fabric is specially intended for use within medical mattresses, so we were able to have a quick turn-around to support the NHS effort.

"We're supplying material for the production of tens of thousands of medical mattresses to be delivered to the NHS, along with material for key personal protective equipment (PPE). In order to achieve the lead-times we are grateful that FIRA International took swift action to undertake the testing stipulated by the NHS."

Howard James, Operations Manager - Testing, at FIRA International, said "During these difficult times it's important for us to support organisations like Rivertex Technical Fabrics Group with their crucial testing.

"Although it is far from 'business-as-usual' for so many of us, FIRA International has a key role to play for manufacturers and retailers, so we're operating within strict safety and social distancing guidelines in order to keep testing and ultimately keep end-users safe."

For further information on FIRA International testing services contact Howard James (hjames@fira.co.uk / +44(0)1438 777 720 or +44(0)7507 882 385).

Due to social distancing requirements, hospital cafeterias now have a more limited capacity, causing a larger number of people to stand in line and spend critical time waiting their turn. SHIFT Management Consulting, a partner of ICW Portugal, has developed a free App, using Power Apps, to control cafeteria access, provide shift availabilities and allow reservations. This way, all hospital staff can better manage their breaks and mealtimes, allowing hospitals to optimise their resources, minimise contact and reduce food waste.

This App was created based on a real need from the hospitals of Centro Hospitalar Póvoa de Varzim – Vila do Conde (CHPVVC) and SHIFT is making it available as-is, and for free for other hospitals.

SHIFT Management Consulting thanks the CHPVVC team for leading this initiative and making it happen.

Contact SHIFT by email (info@shiftconsulting.pt) to find out more about this solution and how it can help you optimise your process.

Harvey Morris writes:

ISS Facility Services has been appointed to deliver cleaning, portering, waste management and other soft FM services at the newly created coronavirus treatment facility.

The Nightingale hospital, based at the ExCel conference centre in London's Docklands, will initially provide up to 500 beds equipped with ventilators and oxygen. The capacity will then continue to increase, potentially up to 4,000 beds.

A specialists ISS Training Academy has also been created onboard the Sunborn Yacht Hotel, adjacent to the exhibition centre, where all FM staff will receive the appropriate training before entering the new hospital.

Matthew Brabin, ISS CEO commented: "We're honoured to help our nation in these extraordinary times and I am doubly proud of our great people who have made this possible".

A huge well done to all of the #GreatPeople for making this happen and helping to create solutions for Covid-19.

Please continue to look after yourselves, colleagues, families and friends.

Angie Dean MICW up in the Lakes District writes:

I have been doing some shopping for some of my neighbours who have underlying health problems and over 70. I have also signed up for the Red Cross and the Support Cumbria Volunteers. So far I have delivered PPE from Whitehaven to a distribution point for a group of carers on the front line in Millom.

Rob Hopkin MICW shared what Birmingham Centre for Rail Research & Education and Birmingham University are developing:

A disposable plastic 'pop-up tent' that creates a protective barrier between patients and healthcare professionals could be the latest line of defence for frontline NHS workers thanks to a new product developed by a team from the UK.

Designed by experts at the University of Birmingham, the Disposable Resuscitation, Intubation and Nebulisation Kit Shield – or DRs INK Shield - is a compact device designed to cover the patient's head, neck and shoulder area while treatments for COVID-19 are administered.

The transparent plastic shield, which features self-closing access points, protects medical staff from airborne droplets that may put them at risk of contracting the virus while allowing them line-of-sight access to the patients airways to perform life-saving procedures such as inserting or removing breathing tubes.

Barrier products like these already exist, however current designs are often hard walled boxes which are not only difficult to store in large numbers, but difficult to manoeuvre in emergency situations. The DRs INK Shield is around five times lighter and one third of the cost of currently available solutions.

Its pop-up design means it can be assembled in seconds as well as easy to store prior to use while the disposable material means that it can be disposed of along with other clinical waste.

The project, which has rapidly moved from conception through product development to launch and taking orders in less than a week, has brought together the expertise of staff from the University's College of Medical and Dental Sciences and College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Design lead Matthew Campbell-Hill from the Institute of Clinical Sciences said: "We're told that COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory secretions which transmit the virus via the fine spray of droplets released when infected people talk, cough, sneeze or even yawn.

"With much of the treatment for the virus focused around the airways, it is imperative that healthcare workers are protected from potential contamination while still being able to deliver the vital treatments that will save people's lives.

"Our shield offers an additional form of PPE that can be rapidly assembled during emergency situations adding an extra layer of protection for frontline staff. Staff who have used it report increased confidence in their personal safety, as well as the ease of use and lightness. While this design has the potential to be a vital tool during the current pandemic, we envisage its use in a range of care settings beyond hospitals including ambulances, care homes and public areas."

Dr Richard Williams, Research Fellow in the Healthcare Technologies Institute added: "Taking the time to fully understand the clinical problem and then move at speed was essential. Even in this national emergency, some basic considerations of placing a product into service still apply. We drew upon our key contacts and worked remotely to provide an appropriate solution in a timely manner with the ability scale."

The next stage of the project will see the team deploy the solution as quickly as possible to the front-line of COVID-19 care. More information about the DRs INK Shield can be found on the Shield Aerosol website.