NHSE/NHSI ESTATES FORUM
same direction towards that common shared goal’. The speaker said: “We want to ensure that, in doing so, we support the development of a sustainable health and social care system of the right size and shape for our future needs. The refreshed HIP will drive transformation of care to a 21st-century model using the latest technologies. It will give STPs, ICSs, and others, what they need to design the estate that best meets the needs for their local area, while reflecting the learnings from those national soundings.”
A need to ‘work at pace’
The Minister explained that while the ‘new version’ of HIP was in its early phase of development, officials were already ‘working closely with partners across the system’. Making the plan a reality would require all in the EFM community, and the wider NHS, to work at pace. He said: “We are already doing this on the new hospital programme under the leadership of Natalie Forrest – a programme which is an absolute priority for our Prime Minister.” Six projects from the programme were already in construction, with one further scheme awaiting final approvals, and the DH&SC would bring forward the criteria for the next eight HIP projects in the coming months. The Minister elaborated: “We will review the designs of the early estate projects in the pipeline with a view to bringing increased consistency, and again driving that pace. We will also inform on standardised designs applicable across the programme, but, crucially, we will work hand in hand with Trusts to help them deliver their vision for their communities.”
Places of work and care It should never be forgotten, Edward Argar added, that the NHS estate stretched far beyond new hospitals, covering ‘tens of millions of square metres’ in primary and community care. He told the webinar: “In closing, it’s worth reminding ourselves that for 1.5 million people, NHS buildings and spaces are places of work and of learning, while for many, many more, the NHS offers a vital service every day. That is why the Government’s manifesto commitment is so important, and why it is vital that the HIP ‘refresh’ delivers a shared vision – by providing a clear strategic vision for capital investment over the next decade. “As Chair of the Strategic Infrastructure Board, I will continue championing the NHS estate and all of you working in it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; what you are doing is genuinely a matter of success or failure for the future vision of our healthcare in the 21st century. There can be few greater callings than the work you are doing, and I am honoured to have the chance to work with you on making that vision a reality, and privileged
40 Health Estate Journal May 2021
to have been given the opportunity to talk to you today. I conclude by simply offering all of you my thanks and appreciation, alongside that of the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister.” Simon Corben thanked Edward Argar for what he dubbed his ‘kind, thoughtful, and insightful words’. There were then a number of questions from the audience, the first, in two parts, asking ‘Will additional capital be made available to help the NHS achieve its Net Zero Carbon target?', and ‘Will future reference be focused on whole lifecycle costing, rather than capital and revenue separately?’
A national commitment
The Minister replied: “These questions go back to the heart of what we are seeking to do for our NHS estate. Tackling climate change and building sustainability into a huge estate are absolute priorities for this government, and achieving ‘Net Zero’ by 2050 is a legal commitment for the whole country, as well as making sense from a financial perspective - since, done right, it can also drive revenue savings. Excellent progress has already been made through initiatives like the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund, and I know many Trusts are already applying for funding under BEIS’s £1 million Decarbonisation Scheme. The NHS, and Simon’s team within NHSE/ NHSI, have set out a number of options going further through the Net Zero Plan, but I don’t underestimate the extent of the challenge, and will be considering options for further investment as part of the Spending Review later this year. However, as we go through the process of designing and building those 40 new hospitals, Net Zero will be a key element in the approvals and design process, and something we have factored into our thinking, including as regards funding.”
‘Green Book’ guidance
The Minister said the questioner had been ‘absolutely right’ about the whole lifecycle costing’s importance, and emphasised that the ‘Green Book’ set out in its guidance that the DH&SC expected all NHS organisations to consider it when making investment decisions. The Department was hoping to include more on the subject in the ‘evolved and refreshed’ HIP.
A second audience member prefaced his question by emphasising that he and his colleagues worked in the NHS ‘not necessarily because we want to work in property, but rather because we want to make a difference’, something he believed was ‘a unique characteristic’ in the EFM workforce. Against this backdrop, he explained that when asking his senior team to set their objectives this year, he had asked them to ‘set their legacy’. His question to the Minister was, therefore, ‘What will your legacy be?’ Edward Argar
Sir Robert Naylor, whose ‘landmark review’ Edward Argar pointed out had led to the formation of the NHS Property Board – ‘a critical first step in ensuring that the estate receives the attention it deserves as an enabler of care’.
replied: “After 18 months in this post, I think I have passed the yardstick as the longest-serving Minister of State for Health in post since 2012. However, I am not trying to focus too much on my legacy currently, but on getting on with the job. The audience member who put the question is, however, quite right to highlight that ‘look back’ at what we have achieved, and indeed what we are seeking to achieve,” he continued. “I think estates and facilities work – and this is one of the reasons I was so keen to address this audience today – has the potential to shape our NHS for many decades through the decisions we make, and the investment we put in.”
Chance to ‘build back better’ He continued: “I am determined that we use the opportunity we have now to help the NHS build back better, prioritising investment in the estate, but, crucially, doing it in a way that looks at it from a long-term perspective. It is often said that ‘we shape our buildings, and they shape us’, so it is vital we get this right, to create an NHS estate that is not only fit for the present, and gives our frontline clinicians the tools and environment they need to do their job, but is also fit for the future, and continues to give them the tools to keep saving lives, and driving forward those frontiers of innovation that make such a difference to patients.” The Minister concluded by saying that it was thus ‘a real pleasure’ to be working with the EFM community in ‘driving forward something with the potential to shape our NHS in a hugely positive way for decades to come’.
Following this question, Simon Corben thanked Edward Argar ‘on behalf of the entire estates and facilities community’ for his ‘time, focus on, and enthusiasm for’, NHS estates and facilities, which he said ‘means so much to all of us’. This concluded an interesting session.
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