NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has won a national HSJ Digital Award for NHS Open Space, its digital space management solution, recognising its impact in unlocking NHS estate capacity, reducing administrative burden and supporting frontline delivery.
Awarded “Unlocking Productivity and Efficiency with Digital” at the HSJ Digital Awards 2026, NHS Open Space was recognised for delivering measurable improvements in how NHS space is accessed, managed and utilised across the health system.
NHS Open Space is a digital space management solution created by NHSPS to make smarter use of healthcare spaces and bring services closer to the communities that need them.
For NHS estate owners and leaders, it provides powerful digital tools to understand how space is being used, manage it effectively, reduce costs, and improve service delivery. Its utilisation monitoring has already seen over 8,000 sensors deployed across the NHS, identifying capacity within the existing estate to enable a saving of £4 million in unnecessary capital spend.
Its booking platform enables NHS teams and healthcare providers to quickly find and book compliant clinical space. To date, it has processed more than 800,000 bookings, supported over 11 million patient consultations, and released hundreds of hours of staff time by automating manual booking and billing processes.
NHS Open Space has helped NHSPS to double utilisation of its bookable space, helping maximise existing capacity. While collectively, the solution has already unlocked £45.7 million in system value.
Chris King, Head of NHS Open Space, said:
“This is about turning underused NHS space into care delivery. By providing the NHS with a clear view of utilisation within the estate and the tools to efficiently manage it, ultimately means clinicians can run more clinics, teams can work more efficiently, and patients can be seen sooner — often closer to home. It’s a practical example of how digital can unlock real capacity in the system.”
Claire Carter, NHS Open Space Portfolio Partner, said:
“Before this, managing space could be time-consuming and inconsistent. NHS Open Space has given teams a clear, simple way to access what they need, when they need it. That means less time on administration and more time supporting services on the ground.”
