TECHNOLOGY
Utilisation technology can transform estates
With NHS estates facing mounting maintenance backlogs, limited capital funding, and rising demand for services, making better use of existing space has never been more important. Tony Booty, director at Abintra, explains how, by combining occupancy sensors, environmental monitoring, and strategic estate planning, healthcare organisations can uncover hidden capacity and improve efficiency without costly new developments.
Poor estate conditions affect patient safety, reduce staff productivity, and limit the efficiency of healthcare services. Studies have revealed the scale of the problem, with investment in physical infrastructure failing to keep pace with rising demand. The system is often characterised as bursting at the seams, but the solution is not just about building new facilities. There are enormous potential gains to be made by making better use of existing healthcare real estate. At the same time, the way healthcare is delivered is evolving with a shift towards out-of-hospital care. This also presents an opportunity. Unlocking the capacity in community and primary
healthcare spaces as well as hospitals and administrative centres could relieve much of the pressure related to space shortages in health service facilities. Delivering estate transformation within the NHS is rarely
straightforward. Since winning finance and approval for new buildings is hugely challenging, it should be a priority to ensure that existing space is used as effectively as possible.
Rethinking space utilisation In many cases, perceived space shortages are not simply the result of insufficient buildings. Instead, they stem from limited visibility into how space is actually used.
A data-driven approach to estate management can
help organisations: n Optimise existing space to increase capacity. n Improve flexibility as service demands evolve. n Enhance staff wellbeing through better environments. n Reduce operational inefficiencies and costs.
In many estates, actual utilisation levels are significantly lower than expected. Meeting rooms may be booked but unused. Clinic spaces may remain empty during certain periods. Office areas may sit largely vacant on particular days of the week. Without objective utilisation data, these patterns can remain hidden. Where new facilities are required, utilisation data can also play a vital role in shaping design decisions. By understanding real usage patterns, organisations can often develop smaller, more efficient, and more affordable buildings.
The growing role of monitoring technology A range of technologies now exists to help healthcare organisations understand how their estates are used.
n Occupancy sensors Occupancy sensors provide continuous data on whether spaces are in use and how frequently they are used. These devices can be installed unobtrusively within rooms and collect anonymised information on occupancy patterns. Abintra pioneered the use of occupancy sensors
more than 20 years ago and has continued to develop new generations of monitoring technology capable of capturing detailed utilisation trends. The data generated can reveal: n How often rooms are used. n How many people use them at a time. n How long they remain occupied. n Patterns of use throughout the week. n Discrepancies between booking systems and actual usage.
n Access control data Many NHS buildings already generate data through access control systems. Badge-swipes can reveal entry patterns and movement between departments. However, these systems typically provide only high-level insights rather than detailed room-level utilisation.
n Video analytics Video monitoring systems combined with analytics software can measure footfall and circulation patterns in large public spaces. Threshold camera-based systems can be installed at entrances to count people in and out of a building or a particular floor or department but they are fallible. Ceiling-mounted camera-based systems are useful in open plan areas but not as accurate as desk-mounted infrared sensors which can provide reliable data for a specific workstation or even a specific seat in a meeting room. Privacy considerations mean camera-based systems
June 2026 Health Estate Journal 63
Occupancy sensor data can be visualised as heatmaps overlaid onto building floorplans.
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