ESTATE MANAGEMENT


NHS University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust moved to a new facility in Moor Lane Mills, allowing for better use of NHS space and budget, as well as generating additional revenue.


The hospital had been identified as a key site in the strategy, with much of the site standing vacant, meaning that there was potential for significant savings in running costs, as well as releasing land for housing. The project completely refurbished and upgraded the space, to deliver a modern and fit-for-purpose community health centre, and has resulted in savings of £9.6 m for the NHS, since existing space was adapted to meet patient demand, instead of a new site being developed.


‘Going greener’ As owners of approximately 12 per cent of the NHS estate, we have an important role in helping the UK’s health services to achieve net zero, and build climate resilience, and we are proud of what we have achieved so far. In the last year, £10.6 m and 8,600 tonnes of carbon were saved. In April 2020, measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 were put in place at national level. These included flexible working policies, and a reduction in business activities in offices and healthcare facilities. These measures all had an impact on the energy use within our estate, which has allowed us to save both the environment and budget. As an example, during 2020/2021,


COVID-19 measures decreased total energy use compared with 2019/2020 by 16 million kWh, resulting in £1.5 m in savings, and a reduction of our carbon footprint of almost 3,500 tonnes. During the pandemic, we have worked with partners such as Energy Saving Lighting to make our buildings more energy-efficient, and reduce our environmental impact at 39 sites, with an expected saving of £1.5 m.


‘‘


East Cross Clinic in Tenterden in Kent has been redeveloped in two phases. Phase 1 focused on the delivery of a not-for- profit charity shop and community café. Phase 2 focuses on the outside space.


Supporting our customers For us, it is vital that we bring cost savings back to patients and customers through service improvements. Our customers include GPs, Foundation and other NHS Trusts, as well as local authorities, pharmacies, dentists, and others. We’re also working closely with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to support them with the development of their estates strategies. Concentrating on what matters to them


– reinvesting in the NHS estate, providing transparency, and clear communication – has led to several of our key achievements. To improve overall customer experience, we are launching Connect – an online portal for raising queries, reporting facilities management issues, and logging complaints. Through Connect, customers can track the status of their interaction 24/7, giving them more time to focus on patient care. We also strive to ensure that customer


feedback is taken on board. For example, our customers told us they want to better understand their charges. We have listened to this, and launched initiatives like our Annual Charging Schedule (ACS) check-in, which provides an opportunity for customers to ask questions and discuss their budget for the year ahead.


Reinvesting into community care Part of the NHS Long Term Plan is a commitment to developing ‘fully integrated community-based health care’. This is something that we have been working towards through continued development of social prescribing hubs across England, with 34 spaces now refurbished for social prescribing use. The


Creating efficiencies across the NHS estate can be done without the need for selling or completely rebuilding a site. Re-development to serve a better purpose brings more gains, and can be financially effective


hubs have been developed to support the NHS Long Term Plan pledge to refer at least 900,000 people to social prescribing services by 2023/24. Through social prescribing, GPs, nurses, and other primary care professionals, can refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services to support their health and wellbeing. By working with disadvantaged groups and local partners, community-centred initiatives like social prescribing can be more effective than traditional services in improving the health and wellbeing of these groups, making them an important part of reducing health inequalities within an area.


Maximising the efficiency of our spaces We are continually reviewing our space to make sure that it is being used to its advantage. After all, if our sites sit empty and unused then no one can benefit from them. One of our solutions to this is NHS Open Space, where NHS bodies and wider health and wellbeing services can rent vacant spaces. Not only does this make better use of the estate and mean that communities can access more services from one local hub, but it also helps generate money which can be reinvested directly back into the NHS, and to improve services for our customers. This year, we will be continuing to grow the Open Space offering, currently at 1,100+ rooms over 190 sites nationwide, to be able to benefit more people across the country. Of course, we are always open to new ideas, so if you think of a creative way in which we could be using our spaces, do let us know.


Re-shaping our portfolio Since 2013, NHSPS has raised £381 m for the NHS through disposal of surplus properties. This means reducing the number of properties that we have sitting empty, such as office space that is no longer used. As the NHS faces a backlog of more than two million operations, the money raised through the disposal of land and saved on running costs and backlog maintenance would total £226.6 m, and could fund the building of 68 new GP surgeries, and hiring of almost 4,000 doctors for a year. One such property was our site at Slyne Road in Lancaster, which had long- standing issues that made it no longer fit for purpose to accommodate the NHS University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust (UHMB) offices. The move by UHMB into its new facility in Moor Lane Mills has allowed for better use of NHS space and budget, as well as generating additional revenue for reinvestment. It has enabled a saving of £45,000 in running costs per annum on Slyne Road, and negated the need to spend upwards of £1 m on backlog


April 2022 Health Estate Journal 19


© Michael Dibb (cc-by-sa/2.0)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68