Facilities Management Strategy: A case study of the CHARLOTTE MAXEKE JOHANNESBURG ACADEMIC HOSPITAL

Abstract

In healthcare facilities, the Facilities Management Unit (FMU) generally advances the operational and managerial activities that provide support to the core clinical and medical diagnostic services. There is a knowledge gap within the field of healthcare Facilities Management (FM) regarding the appropriate strategy suited for South African public hospital facilities, from the structure through to the planning processes and measurement of service performance. The purpose of the study is to identify the existence of a documented FM strategy through a single case study approach at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and to add empirical evidence to this subject. The main objectives are to gain insight into the arrangement of the FM strategic adoptions at CMJAH and to propose an FM strategy guideline in a South African public tertiary hospital context. By way of a mixed research approach, the data was collected through the administration of open-ended questionnaire surveys measured through descriptive statistics, content analysis of FM archives and supporting interviews. A total of 400 open-ended questionnaires were distributed among the selected patient sample, and 333 completed questionnaires were returned. Three and five respondents were targeted for interviews from the hospital’s FM department, equivalent to senior and middle management, respectively; only two responses were received from the senior management. The significant findings of the study indicate that the practice of FM in the CMJAH does not compare satisfactorily with the general best practice methods of the profession. Drawing on a theoretical analysis, in addition to input from the case study, an FM strategy guideline comprising eight stages was developed to assist the CMJAH to achieve best practice FM processes. A recommendation is made among other academics for further research to be conducted to validate the framework in similar public hospital institutions.