Providing greater access to primary care services is core to the NHS’ objective to help improve community wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. In the North of England, there’s a particular strain on primary care services, particularly general practice. And future population predictions suggest this will worsen.
Meanwhile, almost 50 shops disappear from the high street in the UK every day and policy makers are struggling to breathe new life into high streets (BBC, 2021).
As your strategic estates partner, we constantly seek new and sustainable ways to solve age-old problems. The ‘Health on the High Street’ model looks at addressing these issues by acquiring and reconfiguring spaces in retail and leisure settings to deliver healthcare in an accessible and cost-effective way. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used this model as part of our vaccine delivery programme.
As such, we’re looking to incorporate it into more local healthcare planning and development, having already done so in many locations, including:
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New Jackson Medical Centre, Manchester
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Living Well Hub, Warrington
Across these projects, NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has provided various different services ranging from option analysis, securing funding, lease advisory, building acquisition and refurbishment through to ongoing facilities management.
NHSPS helped to improve patients’ access to more clinical and community services such as general practice, podiatry, midwifery, and Citizens Advice. Given their locations in central, accessible areas, patients are able to access these services with greater ease.
New Jackson Medical Centre, Manchester
Challenge
In Manchester city centre, the population has grown by 10% between 2011 and 2022 and in the past five years specifically, patient lists have grown by 107,000. This is expected to rise a further 300,000 from 2020 to 2032, which will place significant strain on healthcare services if the NHS does not respond and adapt.
Solution
Working with Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, NHSPS created a health centre that works as a satellite base for three GP practices and a wide range of community services. The medical centre is set within a residential skyscraper in the heart of the growing community.
NHSPS managed the project from initial design to construction and fitout. Crucially, our Town Planning team worked closely with the ICS to negotiate with developers and local authority to secure over £500k from S106 developer contributions which helped fund the scheme, alongside a grant from Manchester City Council, funding from NHS England and NHSPS capital.
We collaborated closely with the three GPs to ensure the environment was purpose-built and met their clinical needs. And we now provide a full facilities management service.
Impact
The centre is part of a growing residential area, and a new school has recently opened behind the centre. The site will be able to cater for an influx of new and existing residents in and around Manchester city.
The location of the site benefits from many public transport options. The site is easily accessible via tram, bus, train and bike for the local community.
16 clinical rooms were created for use by the three GP practices, which have the capacity to serve more than 20,000 patients who are now able to drop in and chat about their wellbeing.
New Jackson Medical Centre is the first GP medical centre to open in the city centre since 2009. More patients will benefit from shorter waiting times and the ability to drop in.
The purpose-built site offers a range of services in one place, including dermatology, podiatry, ultrasound and mental health support.
The modern design and bright colours create a positive environment to work in. Staff benefit from purpose-built office space, staff room and thriving community location offering a short commute.
Increasing the capacity for primary care services within the community helps to reduce pressure on emergency departments, where patients often go when they can't speak to or see their local GP.
Living Well Hub, Warrington
Challenge
In Warrington, the average healthy life expectancy is around 65, this is the age at which people start to live in poor health. There is a significant gap in life expectancy between local populations, of as much as 10 years, showing the level of health inequality in the area. Furthermore, the population of over 65s is projected to grow 50% over the next 20 years.
Solution
NHSPS partnered with Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Trust (WHH) to support the launch of the Living Well Hub. An integrated, multi-agency health hub, it’s situated in a retail unit on the high street and offers a range of health and wellbeing services in the town centre.
We supported the Trust and its partners in securing a favourable commercial lease, delivering a competitive market rent and flexible terms to maximise value for the NHS. We also provided consultancy services and advice around the design, building function and flow, making sure it was suitable for a multi-agency healthcare facility.
Impact
The hub hosts over 70 different services from around 30 different providers. There are a range of medical and voluntary services targeted at families, children and pre-frailty, including MacMillan Cancer Support and Warrington Housing Association. The site has 3 clinical consultation rooms, 3 non-clinical consultation rooms, 3 large group session rooms and an assessment room.
The hub is ideally situated in the town centre making it easily accessible through public transport. The hub is a short walk from both the central train station and the central bus interchange.
The inclusion of a small cafe and children's play area on the ground floor welcomes residents to drop by for a chat and discuss their health and wellbeing in a more casual setting.
The centre provides a space for charities to work and be close to the community.
This facility has improved community engagement and access to services for residents in the central areas of the town. These are the areas with some of the most significant health and wellbeing challenges and some of the poorest health outcomes.
The new site helps encourage residents to visit the high street and spend more time and money in the area after attending appointments.
Our end-to-end service offer
To help customers opt to make the changes that will have the biggest impact to their communities, we supported the ICBs across both projects with an in-depth options analysis, including the review of existing NHS and public sector estate. We assessed the potential revenue, capital impacts and space capabilities of each scheme. We also carefully reviewed the accessibility of each location, including parking options and public transport links.
Working with the ICBs, we estimated the rental, construction and running costs of each option. We presented key information and narrative around any business case development.
Because we’re part of the NHS, we understand the system and how to achieve the best outcomes for our customers. In both examples referenced, we negotiated and secured either a suitable lease or managed to purchase the freehold for the NHS to run services from the space. We always seek to unlock value for the NHS and within these schemes, we were able to do so by securing the best terms possible and linking with the District Valuer for sign off where needed.
Our local reach and national scale helps us understand the unique needs across communities and arms us with the insight to deliver the best local partnerships. Our Town Planning experts worked alongside the ICBs and negotiated with the Local Authorities and third-party developers. We worked to secure developer contributions linked with residential growth.
Our Capital Project Management team managed the fitout from initial design to occupation by clinicians. We managed the process from end-to-end, including procurement of contractors, managing budgets, keeping to timescales and providing regular updates throughout the process. As the site became operational, we provided facilities management services, including a single reception for multiple services to improve efficiency.
Our facilities team has continued to support customers after the sites became operational. We provide cleaning, reception and soft FM services to New Jackson Medical Centre and manage a single reception service across all providers at the Living Well Hub.
Get in touch
If you want to discuss a similar project or you’d like to know more about these or other services, complete an enquiry form and we’ll be in touch.
