Case Study – Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

We have held the contract with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine since 2021. 

The LSTM site we look after spans across eight buildings which range from 18th century structures to modern facilities, each with different cleaning requirements. Our team operates in a unique environment that hosts various high-profile projects, a number of conferences and seminars, all of which attract media interest. Not forgetting that it’s also a teaching institution with daily student presence. 

We provide cleaning services for all buildings across the LSTM campus and supply all consumables. Our team also performs specialist deep cleans on an ad hoc basis, particularly when research labs transition between projects, ensuring a safe environment for handling tropical diseases. Due to the number of conferences and seminars taking place on site, we supply a dedicated hospitality team that manages LSTM’s meeting rooms and handles drink service and post-meeting cleanups. 

Following a successful mobilisation process, our team structure includes 27 cleaning colleagues who are supported by an onsite supervisor, a team leader, an account manager and an operations manager who oversees the contract. This efficient structure ensures smooth operations with no ongoing issues. 

When we commenced this contract, we were just emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions were still in place. Our main challenge and focus over the first few months was providing reassurance and ensuring everyone could return to LSTM safely. We achieved this by increasing our presence, continuing with fogging and deep cleaning, as well as conducting regular audits. Once it was safe to discontinue the Covid measures, we conducted deep cleans of all buildings to restore the site from the extensive use of disinfectants before starting regular cleaning. 

Another key focus area for the initial months was outlining detailed cleaning specifications for each individual building to ensure coverage and consistent quality standards. 

We also focused on training to equip our team to provide the best level of service. Our team received comprehensive health and safety training, as well as machinery and chemical training and undergoes regular training throughout the year to strengthen their skillset. We also delivered individual training for our management team to enable effective contract management and enhance our service delivery. 

The client values innovation and sustainability and we’re always on the lookout for ways to improve our service delivery. To improve our efficiency, we introduced new equipment, such as Foamtech cleaning and sanitising machines, as well as a Foamex machine to clean washroom areas. We invited the client to take part in the training sessions so they could see the new technology in action. 

Prior to us taking over the contract, there was extensive use of chemicals at LSTM. We streamlined this by introducing our PVA sustainable, multipurpose cleaning range. This allowed us to reduce chemical usage to only include products that are essential from the core range, which are effective and environmentally friendly. To date, we have saved 261kg of plastic across LSTM campus. 

As the LSTM continues to advance its mission in the fight against tropical diseases, maintaining a hygienic and safe environment remains crucial. We remain committed to ensuring quality service for the client and will look to further enhance our delivery by embracing the latest product, equipment and sustainability innovations, advancing our team training programmes and continuing to measure our performance with regular client audits which we regularly score highly in. The contract is now firmly established and running smoothly, giving us the capacity to add value in other ways, including supporting the client with its ESG commitments.