Beacon Medical Services Group provides NHS-commissioned specialist healthcare services across Greater Manchester and surrounding regions, including ENT, ultrasound, audiology, endoscopy, MRI and minor surgery. Since 2016, it has supported the delivery of care in community settings, helping to reduce pressure on hospitals while improving access for patients closer to home.
The challenge
For many years, Beacon Medical Services Group has worked alongside the NHS to deliver services traditionally provided within hospital settings from community healthcare locations instead. This approach helps hospitals focus on acute and complex care, while enabling more patients to access treatment at alternative sites.
As demand for these services continues to increase, Beacon Medical Services Group needed access to flexible clinical space within NHS locations to support the continued growth of its services. This would enable it to expand service delivery while maintaining a convenient and accessible experience for patients.
The solution
To support this challenge, Beacon Medical Services Group began working with NHS Open Space in 2024, unlocking access to flexible NHS facilities that support the delivery of healthcare services outside of traditional hospital environments.
They had initially leveraged some space at another NHS Open Space site, Longsight Health Centre in Manchester. However, as part of their strategy, their team identified Waters Meeting Health Centre in Bolton as an ideal additional location for expanding its ENT service.
As a busy NHS health centre that already accommodates a GP practice and a range of other healthcare services, this new site offered the opportunity to deliver ENT care alongside existing primary and community care provision. This would help create a more joined-up patient experience, making it easier for patients to access the care they need, under one roof.
When additional capacity became available at the property, the NHS Open Space team proactively reached out to help secure a long-term booking arrangement that met its requirements.
Since 2025, Beacon Medical Services Group has established a long-term presence at this property, giving patients greater access to specialist services within a trusted NHS setting. It also provides the flexibility to increase capacity as demand continues to grow.
Delivering joined-up care
A key benefit of operating from NHS community health centres is the ability to bring multiple healthcare services together under one roof.
At Waters Meeting Health Centre, patients can access specialist ENT services within the same building as their GP and other healthcare services. While patients are referred to Beacon Medical Services Group through a variety of routes, bringing multiple services together in one location helps create a more connected patient experience and reduces travel between sites.
This model closely aligns with the NHS ambition to deliver more care through neighbourhood healthcare services, where a wider range of services are available closer to patient's homes.
The results
Working with NHS Open Space has helped Beacon Medical Services Group secure the space needed to continue delivering and expanding services across Greater Manchester.
The benefits include:
- Flexible access to clinical space within trusted NHS locations.
- Long-term room bookings that support service continuity and growth.
- Improved access for patients to specialist services in convenient community locations.
- More joined-up care pathways between primary and specialist care.
- Positive feedback from both clinicians and patients regarding location, accessibility and facilities.
2200+
hours of patient care delivered
8800+
patient consultations delivered
Looking ahead
As Beacon Medical Services Group continues to expand community-based healthcare services, NHS Open Space will remain an important part of its approach to delivering care in local communities.
Find out more about how NHS Open Space could work for you.
Alternatively, explore the NHS Open Space platform to sign up, browse and book flexible NHS spaces.
