Supporting customers in the health sector

The challenges facing healthcare are huge; the need to improve efficiency, address backlog maintenance, decarbonise estates and meet net zero targets are just the start. When you factor in healthcare buildings that are fit for purpose, supporting both patient treatment and recovery as well as our NHS workforce, it’s clear the task is monumental.

Read our guide for building within health estates

Addressing backlog maintenance

Over 80% of all NHS Trusts report some cost for high-risk backlog maintenance. Addressing this is crucial for patient safety, maintaining operational efficiency, controlling long-term costs and maintaining public trust in the healthcare system.

Our specialist healthcare fit-out team can support health providers with this, and we are currently carrying out backlog maintenance and refurbishment works for NHS Trusts including, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT and University Hospitals Sussex NHS FT.

A Net Zero NHS

The NHS agenda is to achieve net zero carbon by 2040, 10 years sooner than UK government target of 2050, with an 80% reduction by 2028-32. As a member of the part P23 Net Zero Carbon working group we are looking at ways to assist the NHS in meeting these goals. We are currently piloting the recently published NHS Net Zero Building Standard on our P23 NHP Future Hospitals Phase 1 project in Plymouth, and will share learning with our P23 framework partners as well as the wider health economy.

Similarly, through our Decarbonise Today service, we help health providers meet Net Zero ambitions. This includes supporting our customers in assessing their Net Zero and decarbonisation progress. We also develop and deliver a decarbonisation plan, identify funding, design a realistic capital programme, and bring an actionable plan for achieving Net Zero to life.

Working in live environments

It is essential that clinical service provision remains accessible. Our experience includes refurbishment or upgrade work in live environments on acute, mental health and community care facilities. This means stringent processes to minimise disruption for healthcare professionals, service users and patients.

How is this done? We take care to understand the bespoke operational requirements of all healthcare buildings we work in, through regular stakeholder liaison meetings before, during and after the construction, commissioning and handover programme.

Our current work at Luton and Dunstable Hospital is within a live hospital environment, where our team installed an internal link tunnel so that patients and staff could move safely between the hospital buildings. Similarly, our work to deliver the Institute of Immunity and Transplantation at the Royal Free Hospital was carried out within a live environment, adjacent the Emergency Department without compromising patient safety and access.

Early Engagement

We advocate engagement early so NHS customers get feasibility studies with cost, programme, risk and buildability advice to inform and fast-track development of Business Cases and funding applications. This has supported University Hospitals Sussex NHS FT with their programme of work.

We also provide estate strategy reviews to optimise and rationalise NHS estates including a combined approach to decarbonisation. Our Development Solutions team further support this with a flexible and tailored service that can maximise NHS assets that can deliver additional income. One example includes consolidating and improving car park provision through the adoption of third-party funded car park solutions unlocking sites and enabling further capital projects or investments.

Speed of delivery

Speed of delivery is essential to deliver healthcare facilities as promptly as possible, without compromising quality. Our cura model offers standardised multi use spaces and ease of future adaptability, to deliver community health facilities efficiently whilst meeting the required standards for quality and compliance.

Our recent project, Grove View Integrated Health and Care Hub, was delivered using this standardised model. Key benefits included:

• Over 60% pre-manufactured value.
• Improved quality.
• Improved speed of delivery.
• A building that can easily be adapted to respond to changes in health and care service delivery.

ProCure23 Framework – an agenda for partnerships to drive efficiency

One way of addressing this is through the ProCure23 framework; whose mission is to help the NHS achieve improved levels of efficiency and performance. Hosted by the Crown Commercial Service and managed by NHS England, P23 provides quick access to a team that understand the operational pressures of the NHS and are committed to sharing best practice and continuous improvement.

The framework allows partners to work together and develop efficient processes, such as repeatable rooms and standard components. These alone have saved the NHS millions so far, as well as tackling how it responds quickly to surge hub requirements and winter bed pressures.

As part of this efficiency and productivity agenda, we're developing the pre and post occupancy evaluation proformas for elective surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres. This will assess feedback from patients, carers and staff on “as existing” facilities to inform development of new facilities in line with the NHS business case benefits realisation plans. It also shares lessons learned across the system; ultimately improving the design and operational efficiency of the services going forward.

Please contact Anastasia to find out more - email at the top.