Almost a year ago, Akademiska Hus handed over the keys to Forum Medicum. During the three-year construction, a major organisational change was underway within the Faculty linked to the construction project. Three units – BMC, CRC and HSC services – were to become one: Med-service, with the task of managing and servicing all of the Faculty's sites.
Developing a new service organization and taking over the operation of Forum Medicum turned out to be a greater challenge than Med-service director Hugh Connell had anticipated.
"It's been a challenge! We are a new unit with 32 employees who, through Forum Medicum, are responsible for the management and service of 100,000 m2, with 3000 students and 1800 employees spread over three geographical sites," says Hugh Connell.
Despite the fact that Med-service is a small unit, Hugh Connell believes that they still have the ability to cope with the task of serving the entire Faculty, but that they still have some adjustments to be made within the organization.
"It will take another year or so before the new organization has settled. It is a tough challenge to develop and run a business at the same time”, says Hugh Connell.
In other words, there are challenges left to solve.
"We are working to improve our communication channels by, for example, creating a so-called single-point of contact (a new case management system, Service Now, will be launched in the autumn of 2024). We also need to get better at feedback in cases, that is, not to close cases without notifying the user of what has been done. There are still some areas with great development potential that we will devote ourselves to improving," says Hugh Connell.
Is there anything that you are particularly proud of, where you have succeeded well?
"Despite the external situation in recent years, the merger of three service units and the commissioning of Forum Medicum, we have been reasonably good at keeping service costs stable. Prices have not gone down for users, but they have not gone up after the merger either, despite the external situation and inflation, explains Hugh Connell.
Together with the three division managers Johanna Ahl (unit support), Mariana Johansson (property and security) and Joel Johansson (technology and service), Hugh Connell is working to improve Med-service operations. The focus right now is on increased clarity about our services.
"We now have job descriptions for our three most common positions on site: furnishing and furnishing premises, managing and taking care of property, premises and outdoor environments, and equipping premises. The purpose of clear service descriptions is to make it easier both for those who order and those who carry out the services.
In parallel with the inventory and packaging of Med-service service descriptions, work is being done, among other things, to streamline freezer storage and the access card system.
Finally, do you have any message for employees at the Faculty?
"We are grateful for your patience – we work as quickly as possible, but sometimes we are dependent on subcontractors and delivery times to be able to complete orders and assignments. Our goal is to always do the best to help you," concludes Hugh Connell.