ANGELA WARHURST meets a team of award-winning workers A BEHIND the scenes hospital team which has won accolades from the experts is taking its expertise out to the wider community and sowing the seeds for future success.

To the thousands of visitors of the Royal Bolton, Fall Birch, Hulton Lane, Hope and Ladywell Hospital sites they're the chaps who keep the grounds looking ship shape.

Yet in reality these 11 men and their manager Richard Heys are responsible for not only making sure the grass is cut, the beds hoed and the plants pruned, they're in charge of gritting the entire 24 hectare hospital site, keeping the pavements free of litter and the kerbstones on an even keel. "It's a full-time 24 hours a day service," explained Estates Manager Paul Holt.

Yet it's not just the hospitals the team takes responsibility for, they're also contracted to tend the grounds of health centres across Bolton. And in October last year they were awarded the contract to take their expertise into neighbouring Salford.

The four staff based at Hope - two previously employed by Salford Hospitals NHS Trust and the two additional members of staff taken on by Bolton Hospitals Trust - are responsible not only for the Hope site but Ladywell too.

"It was the reputation of the team which won them the job," explained Paul.

The growing awareness of how important environment is in the health service as a whole is best demonstrated by the increasing use of landscape to promote the work which goes on in the hospital.

Last year they created memorable displays marking 25 years of the WRVS in Bolton's hospitals and the 50th anniversary celebrations of the NHS.

"It is in the past 10 years that there's been a growing awareness of how important grounds maintenance is and it is now, because we have recognised this at Bolton, that we are starting to reap the benefits of our investment and time," added Paul.

As grounds maintenance manager, Richard is convinced that the hospital environment is therapeutic to both staff and patients and strives wherever possible to promote areas of natural beauty.

Yet responsibility for keeping all the sites pristine does not lie with the grounds staff alone.

At monthly meeting the "suits" and the backroom boys get together to discuss concerns and future developments.

"It's no good having an area of grass which you've brought on and developed only to have a skip lying on it for months on end," explained Richard.

The team's success in the horticultural stakes is best demonstrated by the official recognition it received last year from judges at the Southport Flower Show.

This award for new landscaping recognised the work which had been done over 10 years to transform the grounds of the Royal Bolton and other hospitals to make them pleasant for both staff and patients to visit and work in.

The award recognised year on year improvement and there are already plans to again submit the local efforts for the award this year.

Such recognition of continued improvement does not however take into account the many other aspects of the work which goes on by those chaps who are often seen pushing wheelbarrows and quietly getting on with the myriad tasks in front of them.

In the best tradition of the best organic gardeners the team recycle all their rubbish and manage huge composters which means everything they take off the land is put back into it.

Everything from the Christmas trees which appear on the wards and lands is shredded and mulched, not only from the Bolton but the Salford sites too.

And now the trust has secured its neighbours gardens and lands for the next 14 months it is hopeful of spreading its success still further.

"It's all about staff motivation, about taking pride in the work you do and managing the service, not in a heavy-handed fashion but by partnership so everyone feels part of a team and we're all working towards the same goal," explained Paul. '

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