AW-14 — Space and Facilities Operations: Booking, Timetabling Logistics, Maintenance and Readiness

1. Purpose and scope

Purpose. To ensure that IoL's teaching, assessment, simulation and meeting spaces are allocated by a published priority rule, set up to a stated standard, confirmed ready before learners arrive, maintained through MBRU's facilities function, and used at a rate the department can see and defend.

Scope statement. This procedure manages IoL-controlled space from the receipt of a timetable block or booking request to the close of the session, its turnaround and the monthly utilisation report, together with IoL's part of maintenance, cleaning, consumables, access control and external hire.

Applies to. The simulation centre, clinical skills rooms, IoL seminar and meeting rooms, preparation and storage areas, and their fixed AV; every category of use from timetabled teaching to external hire.

Does not apply to. MBRU-wide lecture theatres and central rooms, which IoL books through the institutional system like any other department; execution of maintenance, cleaning contracts and security staffing, which are MBRU's; readiness of simulation equipment, scenarios and consumables, which is WF-12; event content, which is WF-23; asset custody, which is AW-13.

2. Trigger, boundary and interfaces

3. Roles and accountability

Process owner. IoL Operations Manager or equivalent [IoL to confirm].

[CONTROL] Segregation. The person who approves an external hire does not raise the invoice or handle any payment; charging is AW-12's alone and no cash or card is taken by IoL staff. After-hours access is authorised by the process owner, never by the user. Completed maintenance is signed off by the IoL person who raised the request, not by the contractor and not by Facilities alone.

4. Procedure

1. Publish the priority rule. Space is allocated in this order: (1) timetabled teaching and assessment for accredited programmes; (2) assessment requiring secure conditions, including OSCEs and resits; (3) CPD and CME under WF-21; (4) research activity and internal meetings; (5) events under AW-21; (6) external hire. A lower-priority booking may be displaced only with notice of at least [IoL to confirm, assumed 10 working days], except in an emergency. [CONTROL] Every displacement is recorded with the reason and the alternative offered.

2. Load and freeze the term timetable. Before each term, the Booking Coordinator loads the teaching and assessment block into the booking system [IoL to confirm system] and sets a freeze date. After the freeze, timetable changes are conflicts and follow step 4. Assessment bookings carry restricted visibility.

3. Take ad hoc bookings only in the system. Every booking states purpose and category, numbers, layout, AV and equipment, any hazardous materials or activities (routed to AW-17), times inclusive of set-up and turnaround, and the cost centre where chargeable. [CONTROL] A room is not booked by email, message or conversation.

4. Resolve conflicts. The Booking Coordinator applies the priority rule; between bookings of equal priority the earlier confirmed booking stands. Decision point. Where the rule does not settle it, the process owner decides within 2 working days and the decision is recorded against both bookings.

5. Set up to standard. Each room has a standard layout, a set-up checklist and a minimum turnaround [IoL to confirm, assumed 30 minutes for seminar rooms and 60 minutes for simulation and clinical skills rooms].

6. Confirm readiness before teaching and assessment. Before every session the Booking Coordinator or delegate signs the readiness checklist: access, layout, AV, lighting, temperature, cleanliness, signage, consumables and the safety items AW-17 requires for the room type. For simulation and clinical skills sessions this covers building services only and is handed to WF-12 at the door. [CONTROL] For assessments, readiness is confirmed no later than [IoL to confirm, assumed 60 minutes] before the start; a failed item is escalated to the process owner and the assessment lead immediately.

7. Report faults and track maintenance. Faults are raised to MBRU Facilities through its service system on the day observed, and the reference, date, priority and status are entered in the IoL maintenance log. AV and IT faults go to AW-15. A fault that makes a space unsafe withdraws it from booking and is reported under AW-17 the same day. [CONTROL] Completed work is signed off in the log by the IoL person who raised it, after inspection.

8. Cleaning and consumables. Cleaning follows the MBRU schedule; IoL records checks and requests additional cleans after simulation fluids or moulage. Consumables are held to a reorder point and replenished through AW-10; simulated medications and sharps are stored and disposed of under AW-17.

9. Control access and after-hours use. Access rights are issued by MBRU Security on the process owner's request and held in an IoL access register naming every card, key and code holder. After-hours use requires the process owner's authorisation, a named responsible person on site, and the lone-working rules in AW-17. [CONTROL] The register is reconciled quarterly against AW-07 and AW-08 leavers and the AW-15 access review; a leaver's physical access ends on the last working day.

10. External hire. Enquiries are assessed against the priority rule, the rate card [IoL to confirm] and the standard hire terms held by AW-23. The hirer signs the booking form and terms, provides insurance evidence where required, and receives the AW-17 safety briefing. [CONTROL] No external use begins without signed terms and the process owner's approval; the fee is raised only through an AW-12 invoicing request.

11. Close the session. The room is restored, consumables used are noted, damage or loss goes to AW-13, and any incident or near-miss to AW-17. No-shows and late cancellations are recorded.

12. Report utilisation. Monthly, the process owner issues booked hours against available hours by room, no-shows, cancellations and displacements. The report goes quarterly to AW-25 and feeds AW-02 capacity planning.

Exception routes. Emergency displacement (safety, building failure, institutional instruction): the process owner may cancel any booking, notifies the requester the same day and seeks an alternative; building loss beyond one day invokes AW-06. Three no-shows in a term: future bookings from that requester need the process owner's confirmation.

5. Service standards

6. Records, retention and controls

Key controls. (1) No space is booked outside the system. (2) Every displacement carries a reason and an alternative. (3) Every teaching and assessment session has a signed readiness checklist. (4) Every fault has an MBRU reference and an IoL sign-off. (5) The access register reconciles to leavers each quarter. (6) External hire has signed terms before use, and its fee passes only through AW-12.

OBEF touchpoint. None.

7. Performance measures

8. Change control