Partnering with Greater Manchester ICB
We refurbished a historic building to bring over 900 sqm of vacant space back into use and create a new bedded facility. This project was completed within 6 months (on-site).
Challenge
Vacant space is a huge issue for the NHS estate. In October 2024, NHS England estimated it to be 470k sqm, which is nearly the size of 66 football pitches. Every NHS organisation, including us, is responsible for attempting to minimise this wherever possible.
We obtained funding to accelerate efforts in addressing underutilised space across our estate and to modernise ageing buildings. This money had specific provisions: it was intended to improve primary care capacity without increasing system costs, and it needed to be spent on building improvements, with work to be completed by the end of that financial year. This was an incredibly tight timeline, where planning, delivery, and lease agreements all had to be completed by the end of March 2025.
Solution
- Strategic portfolio review: Our Estate Strategy team reviewed our entire portfolio to identify properties that not only needed investment but also offered value for money and could be delivered within a tight time window.
- Identification of vacant space opportunities: Most selected projects needed refurbishment and reconfiguration work to bring vacant space back into use. By working with our ICB customers and leveraging our vast experience, we’ve been able to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of these sites and reduce vacant space collectively by over 4k sqm.
- Complex project management: With such a hard deadline, we worked with stakeholders to anticipate and remove blockers to successful project delivery. To do this, our teams have not only worked hard to keep customers at all levels informed but also used our knowledge of the system to identify potential issues ahead of time and collaborate to solve them.
Impact
Optimising 11 long-term properties in 12 months!
Collectively, this programme of works has removed over 3.2k sqm of vacant space across the NHS estate in under 12 months. More importantly, for the 197k patients impacted by this work, we’ve created the potential for an additional 210k annual appointments.
Link to full project overview
Impact
Optimising 11 long-term properties in 12 months!
Collectively, this programme of works has removed over 3.2k sqm of vacant space across the NHS estate in under 12 months. More importantly, for the 197k patients impacted by this work, we’ve created the potential for an additional 210k annual appointments.
Link to full project overview
Partnering with Surrey Heartlands ICB
Within 4 months (on-site), we refurbished 344 sqm of vacant space to increase the efficiency of delivering Primary Care and community services. This project has resulted in the creation of 11,000 additional annual appointments.
Partnering with North East and North Cumbria ICB
To support the creation of 18,000 additional annual appointments, we worked to refurbish and reconfigure 356 sqm of vacant space to create a modern fit-for-purpose GP surgery within 3 months (on-site).
Partnering with Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB
Within 4 months (on-site), we reconfigured and refurbished 616 sqm of vacant space to support the creation of the Wessex Vaccine Research Hub and enhance Primary Care services, resulting in an additional 10,500 annual appointments.
Partnering with Mid and South Essex ICB
Within 4 months (on-site), we converted and refurbished 197 sqm of an old X-ray wing into a new branch GP surgery to accommodate population growth and deliver an additional 25,000 annual appointments.
Partnering with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB
To support increased access to primary care in an area of high deprivation, we reconfigured and refurbished 183 sqm of vacant space to provide additional clinical rooms for a GP practice.
Partnering with Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes ICB
To increase clinical space in an area experiencing population growth, we reconfigured and refurbished 138 sqm of vacant space to maximise the number of additional consulting rooms within the building. This project is part of a wider programme of works and delivers an extra 48,000 annual appointments.
Partnering with Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB
To create an additional 23,000 annual appointments, we worked to refurbish 63 sqm of vacant space and occupied space to enhance Primary Care delivery and community services.
Partnering with Surrey Heartlands ICB
We upgraded a 360 sqm vacant building to enable it to deliver both Primary Care and children’s services. The work involved bringing the building up to clinical standards, resulting in an additional 15,000 annual appointments.
Partnering with Greater Manchester ICB
The GP practice was served notice at Al-Shifa, potentially impacting over 3,800 patients. We worked to relocate the practice into 105 sqm of vacant space within the nearby Withington Health Centre to protect primary care delivered in this high-deprivation area.
Partnering with Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
Leyland Clinic was identified as a deteriorating building. To support the continued delivery of community services, our team identified space within the nearby South Ribble Civic Centre. We then worked to create new clinic rooms and interview spaces, resulting in a more cost-effective solution.
Key NHSPS value-add areas
- Part of the NHS: The successful delivery of this programme within a short period can be partly attributed to our knowledge of the NHS system, its estate and our ability to work with commissioners and providers to anticipate and navigate issues before they arise.
- End-to-end service: Due to our broad service offering, we have been able to manage this programme from start to finish, working with our customers and other relevant stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery on time and across a multitude of disciplines.
- Value retained in the NHS: We consider ourselves to be value for money compared to commercial organisations. Where land or properties have been disposed of within this programme, we have worked to reinvest every penny back into the NHS estate.
- Local reach, national scale: This case study exemplifies how strategic thinking can be effectively applied at a regional level, leveraging our local relationships and on-the-ground expertise.
Full project overview
| Property Name | Vacant space reduced (sqm) | Patients impacted | Potential annual appointments generated |
| Monet Lodge, Manchester | 905 | 6,000 | Replaces existing 3rd party site |
| Carter Bequest Hospital, Middlesborough | 356 | 7,000 | 18,000 |
| Leyland Clinic/South Ribble Civic Centre, Preston | Nil – use of public sector estate | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Halstead Hospital, Halstead | 185 | 16,500 | 40,000 |
| Queens Park Health Centre, Bedford | 183 | 6,200 | 19,200 |
| Leighton Buzzard Health Centre, Leighton Buzzard | 138 | 52,625 | 48,000 |
| Shirley Health Centre, Southampton | 616 | 13,500 | 10,500 |
| Totton Health Centre, Southampton | 65 | 5,000 | 23,000 |
| Leech Ward, Leatherhead | 344 | 12,000 | 11,000 |
| Ewell Court, Epsom | 360 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Withington/Al-Shifa, Manchester | 105 | 3,851 | Safeguards current appointments |
| Total | 3,257 |
152,676 |
209,700 |
