07 February 2018

Providing support at every stage of your project

As part of the doorset team, I meet customers to understand their requirements, help them specify the most suitable doorsets for performance and budget and then manage the project on-site, ensuring we deliver on time, and at our high-quality standard.

Just recently, I was involved in an 8-month project at the Sevenacres, Isle of Wight NHS Trust, for the refurbishment of an in-patient Mental Health ward – where we supplied our anti-barricade doorsets, seclusion room doors and 5-way SOS locksets. 


Specification

Although specification is often completed during the bidding stages of a project, we double check the details of the doorsets to confirm full and final details prior to entering production. 

At Sevenacres, this involved several meetings with the architect and estates department – surveying the entire site, taking measurements and making recommendations for alterations due to budget and current legislation as well as factoring in feedback from a CQC report.  The door schedule and specification document was revised numerous times due to budget restraints and necessary alterations to the specification. 

We also met the contractor to discuss the project in detail and provide reassurance that we'd be supporting them closely throughout the construction stages. 

As a detail-focused team, this is one of the most crucial parts of the process – I always find the more we communicate with, meet and support the project team at this stage, the fewer challenges we face later on.

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Ongoing support

We then keep in close contact with the client through the build so that any queries or changes can be dealt with quickly and effectively. 

By remaining involved in the entire specification and installation process at Sevenacres, and providing a familiar point of contact – along with my colleague and account manager for the Trust, Sebastian Mann, who was involved in the project from day one – we moved it through the scheduling, procurement and manufacturing process, delivering on time. 
 

Installation training and support

Our doorsets play a key role in the clinical process, but they must be properly installed.  That's why we're always keen to offer doorset training and advice – it helps us sleep at night. 

So with the help of one of our doorset managers, Chris Chambers, we provided installation advice and training for the contractors at Sevencares, who hadn't previously installed one of our rapid installation metal door frames and anti-barricade stops. 

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Chris did one full door install to train the contractors and provide a gold standard to refer to, as well as supporting them on several further installs.  By then, the contractors were able to install the remaining doorsets correctly and safely. 

 

Remaining in contact 

Of course, that's not the end of our involvement. 

Shortly after, the installation was complete, we returned to site to check over our doorsets and get feedback from the Trust.  This follow-up is an important part of our process – allowing us to double check our products, giving the Trust an opportunity to provide feedback and discuss future projects.

 

 

 

Picture of Lee Ackland

Lee Ackland
Doorset Manager