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Building Better Health: NHS Property Services and the London ICBs working in collaboration

In line with the NHS, NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has adopted a regional approach to support Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Trusts. We have four regions: North, Midlands, South and London.

 

This regional case study focuses on the work we’ve delivered in partnership with our customers in the London region. 

  • Since 2020, we’ve delivered over 50 Healthy Places projects in London to help the NHS get the most from its estate and drive better health outcomes for patients and clinicians.  

  • We have focused over 60% of project funding in 2023–24 on higher areas of deprivation to help achieve maximum impact from NHS investment.  

  • More than 500,000 patients have benefitted from completed transformational projects that we’ve delivered in partnership with the London ICBs. 

 

You can read a summary of the case study below or find more details in our PDF. 

 

Download the case study here 

The challenge

The NHS in London faces significant challenges related to its physical estate. Like the rest of the country, there are many ageing facilities with challenges due to changing service requirements, location needs and limited capital investment, making modern healthcare more complicated to deliver.

The pressure of an increasing London population exacerbates these issues, leading to overcrowded facilities and strained resources. In addition, the general cost of property presents a challenge to expanding or taking on new facilities. These limitations affect the capacity to meet the growing demand for services and the ability to implement new technologies and improve patient care environments.

As a result of this landscape, it’s crucial that better space optimisation and utilisation, along with targeted, timely capital investment, are placed at the top of the agenda for all parties managing the NHS estate.

This prioritisation is the key to modernising the NHS estate, reducing vacant space, enhancing healthcare delivery, and efficiently meeting future needs.

The solution

We’re helping make the most of the NHS estate in London through a range of practical solutions. 

  • Secure funding: We’ve helped unlock investment to upgrade and expand facilities, like Crown Dale Medical Centre, making spaces more modern and patient-friendly. 

  • Transforming underused space: We’re turning empty or underused areas into clinical spaces, like at Raphael House, helping boost capacity without major new builds. 

  • Recycling disposal capital: By reinvesting funds from property sales, we support priority projects that improve services and meet local needs. 

  • End-to-end delivery: From taking on leases to managing full property projects, we make sure new health centres are ready to serve their communities. 

  • Social prescribing: We’re creating community hubs in unused spaces, supporting charities like The Listening Place in Camden to offer vital mental health support. 

  • Enabling CDC facilities: We’re helping deliver Community Diagnostic Centres across London, bringing essential tests closer to home. 

  • Protecting heritage sites: Through our Healthy Places programme, we’re restoring historic NHS buildings so they can continue serving patients. 

NHSPS has been such a positive partner. We are now open seven days a week in Hunter Street, and our visitors and volunteers have told us what a calm and welcoming place our third floor is for them. With this new location at Hunter Street, NHSPS allowed us to almost double our capacity for face-to-face appointments. We are very grateful to everyone at NHSPS who has helped make this happen.

Laura Fach

New Site PM, The Listening Place

Belmont Health Centre has long been an asset in the community, providing health and care services to our residents of Belmont for many years. This refurbishment is part of our ongoing commitment to improving health outcomes in Harrow. We are thrilled to be able to provide patients with a larger, more accessible facility that helps us deliver enhanced primary and community care services.

Isha Coombes

Borough Director, NWL ICB

We're delighted with the refurbishment of Somers Town Medical Centre, which was commissioned to provide top-quality healthcare services for the local community. The upgrades will allow the practice to expand its patient capacity and accommodate growth for many years to come. The renovations, carried out to the highest standards by NHSPS, have resulted in a modern, sustainable, and welcoming facility where patients can receive excellent care. Our NHS colleagues now also have a great place to work, both now and in the future.

Simon Wheatley

Director of Integration, Camden Directorate - North Central London ICB

Watching a derelict wasted space become transformed into a haven of flowers and edible plants has been positive for our team and we look forward to nurturing the space, connecting communities and enjoying home grown plant-based food as part of our continuing journey as a practice.

Dr Mareeni Raymond

GP Principal, John Scott Health Centre

The impact

What has the Healthy Places programme delivered in London? Since 2020, we’ve successfully completed more than 50 projects in collaboration with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). Our work with our London partners remains strong, having identified, advanced, or completed customer projects across over 100 sites. Many of these initiatives are ongoing, multi-year transformations designed to meet integrated service requirements.  

 

Since we began, the London Healthy Places programme has achieved the following benefits for the NHS:  

 

  • Over 10,000 sqm of vacant or void space removed or repurposed. 

  • Circa 20,000 sqm of space improved and modernised. 

  • Over £50 million of NHS capital deployed for customer projects. 

  • More than 500,000 patients benefited from completed transformational projects. 

  • Income generated from disposals of surplus property amounts to over £40 million, much of which has been reinvested or earmarked for ICB priority projects at our sites. 

Wembley Community Diagnostic Centre

The Village Practice

Goodmans Fields Health Centre

Gallons Reach Health Centre

Brocklebank

Find out more

Download the full case study to learn more about how we're supporting ICBs in London. 

Download the case study