Putting communities at the centre of health and well being

There are always a raft of priorities for the NHS that are wide ranging, sometimes competing, and generally challenging to achieve. But the one consistent message coming out now is that the survival of the NHS depends on more prevention, early intervention and taking a co-ordinated approach to patients’ wellbeing. Working in silos and depending on hospitals as a first resort is no longer acceptable to patients nor is it affordable.

A holistic approach

Lord Prior, Chair of NHS England, recently said: “The new integrated care systems, which currently exist in some areas, but will be rolled out across England by 2021, are set to be pivotal in providing much more holistic care closer to the home”

He also stated that the NHS needs £30-50 billion additional capital in the next decade to meet the OECD average: “43% of NHS buildings are over 30 years old and 18% pre-date the founding of the NHS in 1948”.

So, increased integration and making best use of limited capital is essential. At Willmott Dixon we have tried to evaluate what this means for individual commissioners and providers and in response we have developed Cura.

Cura is a pre-designed hub that can be adapted to suit any site with a menu of pre-designed health and care modules, enabling customers to choose the accommodation that meets their local brief. These components are then put together in an efficient configuration to suit individual clinical and site parameters.

Focus on design

A welcoming and caring environment, natural light, efficient pathways so that visitors don’t have to pass through one department to get to another, separate clinical and administrative spaces, and opportunities to maximise use of the building through standard sized multi-functional rooms are key features of the design.

The modules available include primary, community and social care spaces, all of which go to the heart of the transformation of care where mental, physical and social care work closely together.

Cura offers a great solution; uses off site manufacturing solutions and combines value for money, guaranteed price, programme and quality, plus the opportunity for “personalisation” for different localities through external features, internal layout and interior design.

Future of healthcare

Cura meets one of the most pressing challenges of current NHS policy and aims to be part of the solution to provide a successful future for our healthcare facilities.

There is no doubt that the future lies in moving from cure to prevention, care close to home not large institutions, and embracing innovation if the NHS is to remain affordable and offer people a better quality of life.