NHS Open Space wins industry award

Earlier this month I was delighted to accept, on behalf of the NHS Open Space team, the award for ‘Estates & Facilities Innovation’ at the Health Business Awards.

It is the result of incredibly hard work from the team over the course of two and a half years, from first launching the pilot in 2017, to launching our new booking platform earlier this year, and now preparing for expansion across the NHSPS portfolio in 2020.

In this time, we have grown the programme to over 350 users booking across 21 properties, accounting for hundreds of thousands of hours of crucial patient service delivery. We have welcomed a range of services, from mental health to diabetes treatment, widening access for communities. A large majority of our recent registrations are also from private organisations, meaning we’re generating new revenue for the NHS by using space that was previously underutilised.

Looking ahead to 2020, we’re now preparing to onboard our next batch of properties and start a steady stream of onboarding throughout the year, spanning the NHSPS portfolio. The team is also working on a new and improved website design which will make it even easier for our customers to find and book space, and we’re making continual improvements to the on-site support they’ll receive once in the buildings.  

It’s fantastic to see the NHS Open Space programme get industry recognition, and we enjoyed meeting and celebrating with many of the Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups we’re working with. I'm excited to see how this programme grows and evolves and think it will prove to be a cornerstone of our future business as we adapt to and drive changes in the NHS estate.

Learn more about the programme here, and visit www.openspace.nhs.uk to start exploring the spaces on offer, and if you have any questions for the team please get in touch.

Chris King, Principal Strategic Asset Manager