Owned by NHS Property Services, Bath Road is a modern, three‑storey building in Reading, totalling 2,108 sqm. The site accommodates a mix of NHS and private sector occupiers, including Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) and local system partners.
The challenge
BHFT wanted to expand clinical services across the ground and first floors. However, there was no objective evidence showing how space was used day to day. Perceived space pressure did not match operational reality. Without trusted data, estate leaders could not confidently decide whether the site could absorb growth or whether alternative options were needed, such as a costly building extension.
The approach
The NHS Open Space team delivered a six‑week digital utilisation study between May and July 2024:
- 127 desk sensors installed
- 20 rooms monitored across the ground and first floors
- Real‑time occupancy data captured during core working hours
NHS Property Services’ Estates Strategy team then reviewed the data to understand utilisation, pinpoint where space was underperforming and develop evidence based options to optimise the site.
What the data showed
7.1%
average utilisation
overall
3.6%
ground floor
average utilisation
9.6%
first floor
average utilisation
19
desks were in use
at the busiest point
The outcome
The insight, supported by clear estate strategy recommendations, showed a credible route to release space at Bath Road for clinical expansion. This resulted in over £1.1m in combined savings for the ICB and Trust, achieved by consolidating services and the release of two additional sites. This enabled a refurbishment of Bath Road and the creation of new clinical capacity within the existing footprint.
Crucially, partners worked from a shared, trusted evidence base, enabling confident decisions on rationalisation and future investment.
The impact of utilisation monitoring
This case study shows how combining digital utilisation insight with expert estate strategy review strengthens decision making.
A building that appeared busy was shown to be significantly underused once real world data was analysed. This helped estate leaders challenge assumptions, unlock hidden capacity and support service growth without expanding the estate.
For estate leaders, the benefits are clear:
- Objective utilisation data, reviewed by estate experts, de‑risks major decisions
- Hidden capacity can often meet demand without new capital spend
- A shared evidence base supports system‑wide collaboration
- Smarter use of space improves productivity, value for money and patient care
By combining NHS Open Space data with NHS Property Services’ estate strategy expertise, systems can move faster from insight to action and ensure the NHS estate is fit for the future.
