ESTATE PLANNING
2. However, data alone doesn’t create change, people do. Engaging frontline staff ensures that insights translate into practical solutions. By combining real-world knowledge with data, organisations can develop meaningful space optimisation strategies that are both actionable and meaningful.
3. Embedding data-led space planning delivers long-term impact. Integrating insights into strategic decisions creates agile, sustainable environments that enhance staff efficiency, patient experience, and system-wide effectiveness.
By embedding data-driven approaches into estates strategies, healthcare organisations can create more agile, efficient environments. This is not just about cost saving, but about ensuring that healthcare estates remain fit-for- purpose, adaptable, and sustainable. The future lies not only in new-builds, but in optimising the space that already exists.
Case study: Community provider in Devon
1. Background The community provider faced challenges which acted as a barrier to delivering its estate strategy. At the heart of the issue was the Children, Young People, and Family Hub, which was a plan for a strategic facility that had reached Outline Business Case (OBC) stage, but was deemed too unaffordable to progress to Full Business Case (FBC). With no viable funding route, the project was effectively stalled, leaving teams dispersed in outdated and inadequate premises with no clear path forward. The consequences were significant:
MEASUREMENT TYPE WORKPLACE COLLABORATIVE ALL SENSORS Spaces
(number of sensors)
Average usage (%)
Maximum usage (number of sensors)
Maximum usage (%)
197 38.6% 118 60% 92 44.5% 56 61%
n Unsuitable environments – The existing buildings were not fit for purpose, negatively impacting both staff and service-users.
n Teams without a base – Some teams had no permanent workspace at all, hindering collaboration, communication, and service delivery.
n Underutilised good-quality buildings – While some good-quality, well-maintained buildings existed, there was no clear strategy or data to support their optimal use.
The provider needed a data-driven approach to unlock estate capacity, improve space utilisation, and enable more effective service delivery without relying on unaffordable new builds.
2. What we did In a joint venture between Baxendale and Abintra, we conducted a sensor study where occupancy sensors were deployed across multiple buildings for a defined period, to understand space utilisation trends. The study focused on two key types of spaces:
289 40.1% 160 55%
Table 1: An overview of space utilisation in the buildings in which Baxendale and Abintra conducted a sensor study using occupancy sensors.
June 2025 Health Estate Journal 49
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 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
