Enhancing Standards and Reducing Complaints at Chailey Heritage Foundation

Introduction

Chailey Heritage Foundation is a specialist disability charity based in Sussex and is one of the UK’s leading centres for children and young people with complex disabilities and health needs. Their Ofsted outstanding school, welcoming residential homes and bustling activities centre create a thriving community of support for young people complex disabilities and their families.

The young people who have extensive medical needs, rely on non-verbal communication aids, and use wheelchairs, depend on a clean, hygienic, and safe environment to fully engage in the specialist therapies, educational activities, and care provided by the Foundation.

When Nviro was awarded the cleaning contract, the goal was clear: to improve cleanliness standards across the site, reduce complaints from building users, and provide a robust and responsive service that supported the Foundation’s pioneering work with children and young people.

Understanding the Challenge

Chailey’s facilities are in constant use, offering education, residential care, hydrotherapy, therapeutic farming, and assistive technologies, alongside year-round boarding options for Chailey’s pupils and young adults aged 19-25.

This intensive use means the buildings require a proactive and responsive cleaning service. The Estates Team were looking for a professional partner who could not only deliver high standards but also build effective relationships across the site, ensuring that cleaning issues were resolved quickly.

Nviro recognised this need and tailored its approach to support Chailey’s commitment to safety, excellence, and inclusion, ensuring a high standard of cleanliness that reflected the Foundation’s values and the vital work it undertakes.

Nviro’s Tailored Solution – On-Site Expertise

Nviro introduced a dedicated Site Manager to oversee cleaning operations and serve as the primary point of contact. Their responsibilities included:

• Daily collaboration with the Estates team and building users to address cleaning issues proactively.
• Routine walk-rounds to identify and resolve potential problems before they escalated into complaints.
• Supervise and motivate a team of cleaning operatives, ensuring consistent performance.
• Efficient stock management, ensuring cleaning supplies were always available to avoid delays.

This hands-on, visible leadership reduced noise to the Estates team by streamlining communication and providing quick responses to cleaning requests from staff and visitors.

“Nviro has been a breath of fresh air in terms of professionalism and response. I know that we can ask our Site Manager (Andreea) to respond to something and it’ll get done that day. I’m no longer having to resort to doing it myself as we can trust the team at Nviro to get the job done. And Andreea is building relationships with colleagues in other areas so they know they can give her a call if they need additional cleaning support or if an area has been used outside of the planned schedule.”

– Vanessa Bliss, Estates Administrator

Regional Support and Resilience

Nviro’s regional management team added another layer of support, including:

• Oversight from an off-site Service Manager and Area Cleaning Manager to ensure operational consistency and training.
• Access to a local pool of trained staff for absence cover and additional support during peak periods.

Focused Infection Control and Advanced Equipment

To meet the unique needs of Chailey’s pupils, Nviro adopted a cleaning approach centred on infection control including:

• Delivering clinically clean areas where standards exceeded the normal operational levels.
• Non-hazardous, eco-friendly cleaning chemicals were used to maintain hygiene while ensuring safety for vulnerable individuals.
• New equipment, such as floor-scrubbing machines and energy-efficient vacuums, delivered efficient, high-quality cleaning, particularly in high-traffic and high-touch areas.

Operational Efficiency

Nviro implemented a flexible cleaning schedule tailored to Chailey’s usage patterns:

• Term-time cleaning for 39 weeks, aligned with peak activity levels.
• Four weeks of deep cleaning to maintain hard-to-reach areas and specialist facilities.
• Adjusted cleaning during non-term weeks, ensuring efficiency while maintaining standards.

This approach made sure resources were available where and when they were needed most, and kept the site consistently clean all year round.

Impact and Results

1) Improved Standards and Reduced Complaints
By combining proactive management with regular communication, Nviro quickly addressed cleaning issues, resulting in a noticeable reduction in complaints from building users. By understanding how buildings were being used, the team were able to make suggestions on equipment and processes that would deliver better results.

2) Stronger Relationships
The visible presence of the Site Manager fostered trust and collaboration with staff, visitors, and the Estates team. Building users knew exactly who to contact, ensuring faster resolution of any concerns.

3) Enhanced Training and Efficiency
Cleaning staff received regular training and were rotated through key areas, such as the bungalows and hygiene areas. This ensured they understood the specific requirements of each space, enabling them to improve standards and build in resilience.

4) Motivated, Empowered Staff
With pay aligned to Real Living Wage, a benefits package to match those at the Foundation and clear development opportunities, the cleaning team felt valued and that they were doing something meaningful, understanding the critical role they played in the Foundation’s success.

5) Robust Safeguarding
Nviro’s rigorous vetting and safeguarding policies provided peace of mind, reinforcing the Foundation’s culture of safety and care. Cleaners’ uniforms had their names on so the Chailey team could recognise them.

“All the team at Nviro have been professional and friendly and complaints from colleagues using the estate have reduced. We appreciate that they use our feedback to make improvements and the products that they are using are effective – and don’t damage the environment – or provide any risk to our students.

– David Lewis, Estate and Facilities Manager

Conclusion

Nviro’s bespoke cleaning solution has helped Chailey Heritage Foundation improve standards, reduce complaints, and support its mission to empower children and young people with complex neuro disabilities. By providing a proactive, collaborative, and resilient cleaning service, Nviro ensures the Foundation can focus on delivering life-changing education and care in a clean, hygienic and safe environment.