1. Understand what’s really happening in your buildings 

Think of it like this: if you don’t know how your space is being used, you can’t manage it — let alone optimise it. 

Utilisation monitoring can lead to a lightbulb moment. Whether you’re monitoring on a time-bound or ongoing basis, it gives you data you can trust— showing exactly where space is sitting empty, where demand is rising, and where there are inefficiencies you didn’t even know about. NHS Open Space’s utilisation monitoring, powered by sensor technology, does exactly that. 

At Bath Road, Reading, one study uncovered just 8% utilisation — opening the door to consolidation, reallocation, and new income-generating bookings. At Sudbury Medical Centre, a 12-week study helped avoid a £1.5m extension by simply making better use of the rooms they already had. At NHSPS, we’ve been monitoring our utilisation since 2019 and have driven usage by 100%. 

2. Manage bookings with less admin, more control 

Once you have the data on how your space is being used, you then need the tools to manage it. 

From experience, we know that to manage your space effectively — not only to meet shifting healthcare demands but to even begin to optimise it — you need to change the way your space is used. We’ve learnt that making your space flexible is key.

That’s where a booking system like NHS Open Space makes the difference. It gives you the ability to manage your space, and the services using it, from individual desks through to entire property portfolios — ensuring every space is used as efficiently as possible. 

Too many estate teams are still relying on shared inboxes, static spreadsheets or clunky systems that don’t talk to each other. NHS Open Space changes that. Our centralised booking platform makes it easy for your teams — clinical or admin — to see what’s available and book what they need. 

And if you don’t have your own space, you can access NHS space from multiple landlords through the platform. At Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, booking space through NHS Open Space led to a 32% drop in booking costs, by moving services to more suitable spaces and eliminating overbookings, and a 21% cost efficiency by increasing space utilisation. But the real win? Staff now get the space they need, when they need it — and everyone has visibility of what’s going on. 

3. Optimise for savings — or new revenue 

Here’s where it gets really exciting. 

When you’ve got clarity and control, you can start using your space in ways that actively benefit the bottom line. 

Some trusts release underused space to other NHS services, reducing the need for new builds, consolidate services or even dispose of surplus properties — all in delivering a system benefit of a forecasted £3.9 million over two years. Others list available rooms on our platform, enabling pre-vetted healthcare providers to book them. That’s brought in over £5 million in new income to date for NHS organisations — while delivering over 9 million additional patient consultations. 

We’ve even helped convert flexible-use rooms into longer-term demised space, generating, on average, £155k of new lease income each year. 

NHS Open Space has been able to unlock £35.8 million of estate value for the NHS since 2019 — with a further £30.3 million projected in the next three years.  

Together, we can make all of our spaces and places work harder — for you, your patients, and the wider system. 

If you want to cut costs, unlock revenue, or simply do more with what you’ve got — don’t look further afield. Start with your space.

Understand it. 

Manage it. 

Optimise it.