When the temperature reported by the Met Office reaches the criteria, we will automatically schedule your site for a gritting visit between 6pm and 6am that night. You don’t need to do anything. To find out if your site is scheduled for gritting, you can check our gritting schedule on Connect. It's available after 1pm on days when sites are due to be gritted.
How to prepare your property for winter
This guide provides simple steps to make sure your building remains safe, warm, and operational for patients, visitors, and staff.
Covering everything from heating inspections to Christmas decorations and snow removal, we’re here to help you prepare for the colder months.
Download info sheetHaving issues with your heating?
Our Customer Service Centre (CSC) is always available to support you with heating concerns, whether it’s adjusting the temperature or resolving a breakdown.
To help us respond quickly, please choose the right contact method based on the urgency of your issue:
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Non‑urgent issues: Use Connect, our online portal, for routine requests such as minor adjustments or general queries.
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Urgent issues: If your heating problem requires immediate attention at any time of day, call our CSC on 0808 196 2045.
Urgent jobs are logged immediately, assigned a reference number, and an engineer is dispatched as soon as possible. If life is in danger, the protocol is to dial 999 first, then notify the CSC.
For guidance, see examples of urgent vs non-urgent heating scenarios below.
- No heating or AC down in a building – especially during cold weather or when patient comfort and safety are at risk.
- Environmental temperature issues – where conditions could impact clinical care or patient well-being.
- Heating failure in wards or treatment areas – immediate action required to maintain safe conditions.
- Associated risks – e.g., burst pipes due to freezing, or heating failure combined with water supply issues.
- Minor comfort adjustments – e.g., heating schedule tweaks or temperature slightly below preference but still safe.
- Heating operational but not optimal – such as needing a system reset or minor control adjustments.
- Jobs where alternatives exist – e.g., one shower not working when others are available, or decorative upgrades.
Busting the myths: How gritting really works
When winter arrives, one of the most common questions we get is: ‘Has my site actually been gritted?’ It’s a fair question as a lot of the times it doesn’t look like anything has been done.
Most of the doubts come from commonly believed myths about gritting. Read our latest blog to clear up the confusion on some of them.
Read the blogFrequently asked questions about gritting
We know how important it is to keep your site safe during icy conditions. This section explains how our gritting service works and answers some of your frequently asked questions, so you know exactly what to expect when temperatures drop.
The salt used isn’t always visible and may require some agitation through foot or vehicle traffic to help it to enter solution. Our team can check the portal to confirm that your site was gritted, if you still aren’t sure. However, if the temperature criteria was met, please rest assured we will have been to your site.
Yes, you can contact our Helpdesk on 0808 196 2045 and one of our team will arrange this for you. Please be aware that this may incur an additional charge.
If this is urgent and will be required within the next 48 hours please call our Helpdesk on 0808 196 2045. For non urgent requests, over 48 hours please raise the request via Connect. There could be a charge incurred for this.
Gritting takes place based on an optimal route around the region and our Contractor cannot accept a request for specific times.
Please call our Helpdesk on 0808 196 2045, this service is chargeable.
Contact Customer Service via Connect and they will be able to advise you.
Want more support?
If you need more support with preparing your property for cold weather or have specific questions about gritting at your site, you can raise a query via Connect.