Asset Management NSW

Overview

Following the successful release of Asset Management Global Standard ISO 55000:2014; NSW Health determined that, due to the size, complexity and criticality of its built-environment portfolio, it should establish a proactive approach to managing its assets. Health Infrastructure was charged with developing a standardised asset management model that could be rolled-out across all 256 Health campuses ensuring a consistent, evolving best practice approach to asset management for its current 3,600+ facilities and all future facilities.

Castle Consulting was appointed to help establish an asset management function within Health Infrastructure, integrate the principles of asset management from a whole of life perspective and develop an asset management framework for the entire network and its asset managers.

Approach

The NSW Health portfolio is large and complex, the complexity of which is exacerbated by the diversity of the types and vintages of its facilities. Operationally, facility and asset managers face the additional challenges of evolving technology and the tyranny of distance, making consistency in approach increasingly difficult.

It was quickly understood that establishing a robust asset management framework for such a large and diverse portfolio from first principles would require a model that could be implemented at any stage in the asset lifecycle. Accordingly, we approached the development of the framework to enable it to be applied retrospectively to existing asset-bases and also for yet to be built facilities.

Planning the implementation of the new asset management framework identified three key areas of focus:

• Determining asset data profiles
• Engaging the user-base and effectively communicating the model
• Providing ongoing support and develop a sustainable knowledge management base

NSW Health had virtually no asset data available, however, the organisation had invested significantly in an asset information management system, Tririga. Effective asset management relies on the availability of fundamental data, accordingly, we engaged with the private sector to explore emerging technology to identify opportunities to establish a data collection process. The result was a unique, first-ever, integrated model of rapid data capture that produced point cloud simulations with key asset identification and data profiles that aligned with the data-profiles required by Tririga.

Stakeholder engagement was recognised as critical to the success of effective asset management for NSW Health. Active engagement with asset related personnel across the entire portfolio revealed a common desire to share and learn from counterparts across the organisation. Accordingly, we established a dedicated NSW Health Community of Practice, a forum for stakeholders through which experience, opinion and queries can be shared; a forum supported by a quarterly in-person day-long event during which key subjects can be reviewed, discussed and addressed.

To support these developments, we also established a dedicated digital multi-purpose, dynamic digital platform for asset managers across the portfolio. The Asset Management Information Hub (AMIH) provided a secure environment for the sharing of data, raising queries or accessing the details of the requirements of the NSW Health specific asset management framework.

Benefits

In parallel with the development of the asset management model for NSW Health, we were engaged to assist in the development of the NSW Government asset management policy. The foundations and ongoing asset management operating model developed for the NSW Health team aligned with the new policy but equipped the stakeholders with the appropriate knowledge and information, tools and data-sets to enable their compliance with the new policy.

More importantly, the model developed by our team informed and empowered all stakeholders to make decisions to ensure the effective and safe operation of hospitals and their support networks across the state, irrespective of size or location.