Published date: 10 March 2020
Partnering with an Integrated Care System to enable healthcare transformation
NHS Property Services has a long-standing relationship with the CCGs in this area, and we have multiple sites in the region including the majority of the Primary Care and Hospital sites that are central to the ICS’s delivery plans. We have now developed these relationships further by partnering with Frimley ICS, to help deliver this transformation via developing an enabling estate.
Co-designing
with our NHS partners
£28m
funding secured
Optimise
the NHS estate
The challenge
Frimley’s transformation is ambitious, and often new operating plans are not matched by increased capacity or funding flows.
A crucial element to answering these challenges is the NHS estate, and yet in this region it is generally poor – particularly for the primary and community estate. The estate was inefficient, with old or unfit-for-purpose buildings not enabling best use of NHS funds or optimal patient care.
The solution
NHSPS has been a key partner to Frimley ICS, co-designing and delivering the estate they need to transform the region’s healthcare and deliver excellent patient care.
We have built a close and productive relationship, which includes:
- Becoming integral to Frimley’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) wave 2 bid for the Integrated Care Hub initiative, securing £28 million capital funding.
- Being a key member in their Estates strategy group (reporting to the ICS board and rated ‘good’ in 2018) and capital delivery group.
- Supporting disposals to save the NHS money on running costs and generate new funds for reinvestment.
- Identifying routes for development and working with partners to maximise investment.
- Co-designing various original bids and scenario development for projects.
- Presenting and engaging with the CCGs’ Governing Body.
The impact
Building this partnership over the course of a range of successful projects has unlocked the potential of collaboration across the NHS family, all of which are in accordance with the emergent clinical plan. We are delighted to offer our property expertise to help our NHS partners get the best out of their estate, using it to deliver on the NHS Long Term Plan.
Key sites that demonstrate this productive partnership include:
- Upton Hospital (Slough) – anticipating and progressing options for site disposal of vacant areas.
- King Edward VII Hospital (Windsor) – considering options for a partial site handback.
- Skimped Hill Health Centre (Bracknell) – supporting the vacation and handback of underutilised space and relocating occupants to a more suitable site.
- St Mark's Hospital (Maidenhead) – establishing a timeline for the handback of surplus and non clinical land and buildings.
“Strong partnerships are crucial to the transformation of the NHS estate, and I’ve been delighted to work with Frimley ICS in designing and optimising their estate to enable better healthcare provision.”
James Page, Regional Partnership Director - South West
