Business Division
CAPS, a central contact point for the administration of contracts
The Business Division’s role is to provide high quality support services to aid the delivery of VLA’s science.
Estates and Environment
The Weybridge site redevelopment continued with the building, in record time, of a new modular containment facility to increase our virological capability requirements. Work also started on another major project, the refurbishment of the main HQ building, due for completion in early summer 2008. The new facility will enable the entire Agency’s support services, restaurant, library etc to be under one roof. The Stewart Stockman Laboratory (completed in 2005) qualified for the finals of the British Construction Industry’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Awards.
Chris Morrey Business Director
The Regional Laboratory estate maintenance included the planned incinerator removal programme and the provision of new PM room facilities.
VLA is fully committed to meeting it’s environmental goals and ISO14001 corporate certification was obtained during the year. A number of projects are on going to improve energy efficiency at all our laboratories including a new target on water and energy use to become carbon neutral by 2012, a feasibility study for a wind turbine and ‘power perfectors’ being installed on critical buildings.
Corporate Planning & Communications
Events
Two very successful international conferences were organised at St John’s College, Cambridge, the 6th International Symposium of Avian Influenza and the Institute of Mycoplasma Conference. Both conferences attracted over 250 delegates, who participated in very full and open exchanges of ideas on two very important diseases. Other events included the organisation of the European Coccidiosis Discussion Group meeting; a visit from Defra’s Permanent Secretary, Helen Ghosh, an Open Day for students from four local schools and a stream of visitors from all round the world. The unit also organised the VLA’s Annual Conference, which this year had a theme of ‘Collaborating in a Global Network’. Scientists and administrators, representing all the Agency’s network of laboratories heard presentations on a range of collaborations that have aided and improved the delivery of VLA science.
Communications
In September 2006, our intranet system - IntraVet - was re-launched using a new operating system to improve the management and search capabilities. It will also enable the use of other software packages for document management and communities of practice.
Library and Records Management
VLA’s Library is one of the foremost veterinary libraries in the country accessed by a wide range of Government veterinarians and scientists. A key theme in 2006/07 has been to increase the electronic resources and train users on how to get the best from them. The Library’s role has expanded over the years to include records management and this year we launched an Information Assets Register. We have also taken over management of VLA’s Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Archive.
Customer Accounts and Programme Support (CAPS)
CAPS acts as a central contact point for VLA scientists and administrators, Defra and our external customers by administering contractual arrangements and providing financial and project delivery information.
In 2006, a new project management training course for project leaders was introduced, which has become an integral part of CAPS role in providing project support to the Agency. Combined research and surveillance customer liaison meetings with Defra were also introduced and new European Union project funding was applied for. In addition, the unit has taken on the administration of the budget for InterAct, a Department of Trade and Industry collaboration between four PRSEs to promote and develop projects with a commercial potential.
Delegates at the VLA Conference
Information Technology
Delivering emergency response systems for Avian Influenza and Bluetongue Virus (BTV) provided the main focus for the IT Unit during 2006/7. As well as poultry and wild bird LIMS for the laboratory, VLA IT systems provided critical functions supporting Defra epidemiologists and policy units. These systems helped to both contain the AI outbreaks as well as implementing the subsequent AI surveillance systems necessary across the UK. BTV work involved assisting the Institute of Animal Health, at Pirbright to ensure that a robust emergency response LIMS capability could be provided in the event of an outbreak in the UK. ITU also delivered important Scrapie Survey and TB Gamma Interferon systems.
Improving the use of VLA’s surveillance data has been achieved using new flexible data analysis and mining tools. This web based system ‘Vladimir’ is being extended to include other relevant data assets such as farm visits.
A wide range of other business systems such as Avian Virology Isolates database, Johne’s monitoring using handheld devices in the field, Proficiency Testing and Defra Profiles have been introduced.
Substantial progress has been made on VLA’s long-term goal of using technology to improve external collaboration with an internet connected infrastructure, which has been installed and ready to support a range of web-based systems.
Procurement
The unit has continued to support scientific colleagues across the Agency by providing supplies of laboratory consumables and reagents, including supplying ‘notifiable disease’ diagnostics and ‘out of hours’ service to Animal Health colleagues working in the field.
The unit has also been involved in three successful tenders, using the EU procedures for public sector procurement, to supply the essential equipment required to support the avian influenza outbreaks.
Sharing expertise and experience with Defra’s Strategic Procurement Unit and others has increased during the year and resulted in improved cost benefits as contracts are tendered for collaboratively and increased discounts achieved.
The unit also managed the distribution of an increasing volume of commercially available veterinary diagnostic products to customers throughout the world.
Finance
The Finance Unit continued to refine and enhance projects, started prior to this report including evaluation and reporting on both the Government Efficiency Initiative and the growth of VLA’s commercial activities. Further areas of potential cost savings were also identified and these will be considered in detail during the forthcoming year.
As e-procurement spreads throughout
VLA, greater demands are placed on the
Systems Accounting unit due to the
increased number of users. Despite this,
several new initiatives have been
introduced whereby most invoices,
remittance advices, purchase orders and
customer statements are now
e-mailed
direct to the customer or supplier.
Document scanning has also been
introduced so that copies of invoices can
be instantly retrieved on line. The saving
in time, stationery and postage has
proved beneficial.
The Unit continues to work closely with other Business Division areas - particularly CAPS, Estates and Purchase and Supply - together with improved Defra contacts, has helped to improve understanding and knowledge which has led to increased efficiency.
The Government’s ‘faster closing’ initiative for Department and Agency Accounts remains in place and VLA has complied with these requirements.
Personnel
Personnel has a key role in providing support to Agency staff to help them perform to the best of their ability and realise their potential. To this end, we have increased our investment in this area by:
- opening a dedicated building for the VLA Playscheme, during school holidays and organising the release of a dedicated building to increase the number of nursery places available
- launching a Salary Sacrifice (Childcare) Scheme to enable parents to receive tax benefits on childcare expenses and appointing a dedicated Welfare Officer to provide support to staff across the Agency
The VLA Playscheme 'team'
VLA maintained its Investor in People standard in October 2006, following a more rigorous assessment which has been revised to provide more challenging criteria, recognise the learning and development provided to staff and to help them undertake their work and develop skills for the future.
The unit has taken an active role in taking forward the ‘4 Me’ self-service aspect of the e-human resources database. This should result in the introduction of an online appraisal system in the coming year.
Quality Management
The Quality Management Group strive to continually improve and co-ordinate the multiple quality management systems operating within VLA.
Based upon the success of achieving corporate certification to ISO 9001 in 2005, three existing separate certifications, TSE Archive, Neuropathology and Biotechnology have successfully been merged and VLA is now able to operate a single ISO 9001 certificate.
Defra Permanent Secretary, Helen Ghosh visiting VLA Weybridge
During the year, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency carried out an inspection of the regulations covering our non-clinical study procedures and compliance to the Principals of Good Laboratory Practice, was re-issued. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate also carried out a successful inspection of the Biotechnology, Scientific Services and Animal Services units to ensure that the facilities used for producing licensed products and quality control of extraneous agents, met with their guidance legislation for manufacturing and distribution of vaccines under a marketing authority. VLA’s multi-site accreditation to ISO 17025 was expanded to include veterinary opinions and interpretation, several additional diagnostic tests and two new departments, Histopathology and Molecular Pathogenesis & Genetics. The Radiochemistry and Quality Assurance Units both retained their United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditations to ISO 17025 and ISO Guide 43-1.
Safety
A safe working environment is a VLA priority and the Safety Unit has been very active in ensuring that this is achieved.
During the year, the unit has been involved in a wide variety of initiatives including offering advice on the safety aspects of laboratory decontamination, monitoring new build and refurbishment projects such as the co-location project between VLA and IAH, Pirbright and organising licences to enable work on Specified Animal Pathogens to continue.
The unit has also carried out audits and inspections to ensure compliance with legislation has been achieved where required, provided health and safety training to VLA employees and continued its involvement in the international arena by attending conferences on Veterinary Biosafety. Our advice and participation is often sought by counterparts from many similar organisations.
Initial preparations are underway to implement the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Partnership Plan for next year to help improve safety management across the Agency.