INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE-SHARING
how British professionals tackled infrastructure, safety, and sustainability challenges, especially in a high-pressure paediatric and maternity setting. During her placement, Mercedes engaged deeply with
the Vital Services teams, including Projects, Compliance, Health and Safety, Medical Engineering, Fire Safety, Mechanical and Electrical Management, Building Management, and Sustainability. She highlighted the kindness and openness of staff across departments, and said she valued the mix of hands-on and strategic activities – from team meetings to on-site inspections.
The plantroom at the General Hospital of Larissa.
Within that, estates and facilities play a critical role in enabling those outcomes, whether in Birmingham, Larissa, or Sicily. The HOPE Programme has helped me grow both
The Hope Exchange 2024 Programme team in Thessaloniki in Greece last year.
personally and professionally. It reminded me of the value of international collaboration, and how powerful it can be to step outside of your usual environment and see your profession through a new lens. I would absolutely recommend the programme to anyone, especially colleagues in non-clinical roles like estates and facilities. The opportunity to learn, share, and grow on a European stage is invaluable – and it’s something I’m proud that BWC continues to lead on, as the only UK Trust to ever host HOPE placements from an Estates perspective.
n Learning Across Borders: Mercedes’ Experience
When I, meanwhile asked what motivated her to choose BWC for her Hope Exchange Programme, Mercedes Perez Andres said: “Hospitals are very specific workplaces, and I thought there should be many similarities among them in the UK and Spain – but on the other hand, surely there should be differences in the way we deal with the challenges faced – and that’s where I expected there would be much to is learn.” She noted her
admiration for the UK’s healthcare system, and was eager to explore
104 Health Estate Journal October 2025
Contrast in infrastructure Mercedes was particularly struck by the contrast in infrastructure between the two sites – learning about the historical challenges of maintaining the centuries-old Children’s Hospital, alongside witnessing the sustainable transformation of the Women’s Hospital through its impressive heat recovery system using groundwater. She also appreciated the opportunity to participate in fire safety audits, risk assessments, and green energy initiatives. These experiences deepened her technical knowledge, and offered her ideas to champion back in Murcia. On the cultural and organisational side, she observed: “I believe that at BCH, great importance is placed on patient information and communication, as well as on how the patient feels, which is especially crucial in child and maternity care. There is a great working atmosphere – something I am fortunate to also have in my home department in Spain.” Mercedes left the programme with a renewed focus on patient-centred environments, new technical ideas, and a broader perspective to apply in her future work.
n Dawid’s Perspective: a fresh lens on infrastructure and innovation Dawid Budny’s motivation for applying was similarly focused on professional growth. He said: “The main part of the internship at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital was a new experience – broadening the horizons of knowledge in aspects of functioning and organisation in Great Britain.” He appreciated every day of his placement, describing it as ‘full of new experiences and a huge amount of knowledge’. He was particularly impressed by the high level of hospital computerisation and digitalisation, recognising it as an area where he could bring real transformation back to his hospital in Poland.
He commented on the challenges faced by the Trust in maintaining a very old building, but also admired how BWC had managed to retain patient focus through thoughtful visual design that eases the hospital experience for children. He was also fascinated by the real-time monitoring capabilities embedded in building management systems – something he hopes to advocate for in Poland to improve system responsiveness and energy efficiency. Looking ahead, Dawid intends to apply insights gained
from BWC’s practices to improve his own organisation’s management and digital systems. He noted the programme’s value in enhancing his position within the healthcare sector. He also made valuable suggestions for expanding the scope of future placements to include sessions on hospital financing, billing, cybersecurity, and medical service development – areas of growing importance in every European health system. To ensure Dawid and Mercedes experienced the full depth and breadth of our estates and facilities operations, a four-week itinerary was developed – designed not only
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