SUMMARY – NHS Snow Clearance and Gritting Requirement

Due to bad experiences with previous gritting contractors Clearway Gritting, as one of the leading gritting companies, was asked to tender for the contract to supply services to the six main NHS Trust Hospitals within Hertfordshire. Historically Clearway Gritting have gained the majority of contracts due to disfavour with previous contractors’ performances.

Any gritting contract requires attention to detail and excellent service delivery, this is an arena where we excel. If one sector relies on a 100% gritting service more than any other it is the NHS.

THE CHALLENGE – Finding A Snow Clearance and Gritting Company

  • To deliver a 100% gritting or snow clearance service level 24/7 to guarantee full and safe access to A&E Departments for Ambulances at all times.
  • To guarantee fleet and workforce numbers to maintain a full service with redundancy to the six hospitals concurrently whenever required.
  • To respond to any hospital within two hours of a reactive callout for gritting or snow clearance during adverse weather to ensure Ambulances and A&E remain fully operational.
  • To offer a second to none service in gritting and snow clearance at both a competitive and cost effective rate due to the increased strain on NHS funding.
  • To guarantee sufficient salt stocks to ensure no shortage during extreme weather conditions as experienced with previous contractors.
  • To deliver a vehicle fleet with the capacity and technology to fulfil the contract.

THE SOLUTION – Reliable and Effective Gritting Service

  • To stock pile in excess of 2,500 tonnes salt on our premises before 1st November to ensure sufficient salt stocks for an above average winter across all of Clearway Gritting’s portfolio of sites.
  • To develop a new gritting team for sensitive contracts and priority sites where a 100% service level is required 24/7 – ‘Clearway Gritting Primary Team’. The new team work to a maximum response time of two hours for reactive callout situations.
  • To add to the Clearway Gritting fleet not only in numbers but also with technological advances, including the introduction of state of the art gritting and snow clearance equipment with large capacities, unrivalled by any of Clearway Gritting’s competitors.
  • To retrain staff as ‘Primary Team Representatives’ to guarantee the required level and quality of service at all times.

THE RESULTS – Customer Satisfaction

NHS Trust Hospitals are extremely pleased with Clearway Gritting’s commitment to the contract and the level of service delivery. Clearway Gritting have never had to reduce salt or limit service due to insufficient salt stocks even during the two harshest winters for over 30 years. Prior to the contract being awarded NHS Trust Hospitals commented on the Clearway Gritting fleet as ‘best machines available by far’.