NHS Estates Conference 2019

On 17th September a team from NHS Property Services (NHSPS) attended the 2019 NHS Estates Conference, where I, as Head of Property Management, spoke on the work NHSPS is doing to optimise and transform the NHS estate.

This event gathered a range of NHS stakeholders to explore topics ranging an update on the Naylor Review to in depth construction case studies. I used the opportunity to remind our partners of the importance of the Primary Care estate, and looking beyond the need for new builds alone to consider how to maximise the use of our current assets, a foundational requirement for which is good quality data on our estate. 

I asked the audience whether we, as NHS partners, fully understand the assets we have, how they’re used and what they cost - we cannot escape the need for data, data, data. With this in mind I asked for a renewed focus on establishing Occupancy Agreements, and keeping NHSPS up to date on any changes planned to tenants occupancies. Once these elements are in place, NHSPS can more effectively support and optimise the NHS estate, and I went on to explain how our property expertise can help capture funding and recycle capital for refurbishments and new developments. 

My key takeaways from the other talks include:

• 18% of the NHS estate predates 1948 (older than the NHS itself) and there is £5bn in backlog maintenance
• There is a potential land sales value of £5.7bn (i.e. selling surplus NHS land) of which London sites represent 57%, and potential revenue savings of £500,000 - £1bn
• To bring the estate up to a suitable standard, there is a proposed £10bn of investment needed, made up of a mix from the Treasury, land sales and private capital
• The Primary Care estate is in need of radical change, and yet there is a significant lack of data on it 
• NHS Providers are running a new campaign “Rebuild Our NHS”, to bring NHS budgets into line with comparable economies (expenditure as % of GDP currently well below OECD average)

I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions on the event and any questions you may have on my presentation, so please do reach out to via our Customer Service team. 

Julie Whetton, Head of Property Management, NHS Property Services