At your service – Richard Tucker MBE , founder of Aycliffe-based AAA Caring Caretaker .
PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
TRUST US
Award-winning Aycliffe firm supports NHS
BY MARTIN WALKER
Aycliffe-based property and
maintainace experts deployed a team of ex-services staff to help a major NHS Trust get Covid-ready .
AAA Caring Caretaker – formed by RAF veteran Richard Tucker MBE – is an award-winning property maintenance and cleaning company covering all forms of site maintenance to cleaning .
The firm was approached earlier this year to support Tees , Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust to help deliver training to hotel services and infection control .
Caring Caretaker also supported the trust with deep cleans to prepare areas for use during the Covid-19 pandemic .
Working closely with head of hotel services Yvonne Watson and head of catering and performance Kingsley Verity , a plan was agreed to support hotel services , which included bespoke mandatory training completed via an online portal .
“ We all worked together over the Easter holidays to make sure we were ready ,” said Richard , who has fostered a company ethos to employ ex-service personnel as much as possible .
“ Kingsley and his team worked closely with us to oversee the training , with the IT team epitomising the amazing collaborative spirit – a ‘ let ’ s get this done ’ attitude developing between everyone involved . “ The response was amazing , with 39 individuals stepping up to the challenge to complete the training modules over the Easter period .”
Richard , who is a North-East ex-services ambassador – a voluntary role which involves mentoring veterans who have started their own businesses – said the NHS job brought back memories of his services days .
“ For many this was back to basics , doing what we had always trained for – overcoming obstacles to get a job done and the seamless team-work was almost like being back in operations ,” he said .
AAA ’ s teams now work across many of the trust ’ s main sites , including Cross Lane in Scarborough , Cherry Tree in Meadowfields , Peppermill , Foss Park in York , West Park in Darlington , Lanchester Road in Durham and Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough .
Richard explains : “ Additional training was required to enable four members of our team to work within the secure units at Roseberry Park and , as a result of this training , they are now able to work anywhere within the trust .
“ For the commissioning of Foss Park , a second team consisting of some of our original employees and recent recruits was formed to help with the cleaning of all areas of assembly of furniture , in preparation for
Thank you – AAA Caring Caretaker has carried out work for the Tees , Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust .
patient arrival . “ In addition , we also provided a removal service to transfer equipment between sites .” Around 20 veterans were assigned to hotel services to support during Covid-19 and other veterans helped the NHS estates team and IPC with the delivery of PPE , emergency oxygen runs and the collection and delivery of antibody testing specimens which is ongoing .
Richard added : “ One of our veterans is an ex-army combat medic , who has enrolled to start his ambulance technician training at college , and sees this work on the front line as a fantastic opportunity to learn more about NHS roles in civilian life .”
Earlier this year , AAA Caring Caretaker – who announced a new link up the Durhambased Finchale Group , formally known as Finchale College , earlier this year – also enjoys a long-standing partnership with LandMarc Solutions , one of the approved Defence Contractors and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation , and is working with a growing number of firms in Aycliffe .
Find out more at aaapropertynortheast . com / caring-caretaker or call 01325 311116 .
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 21