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How intelligent space management is unlocking savings and efficiency across the NHS estate
The NHS is tasked with delivering world-class care while managing a vast, complex and often ageing estate under mounting financial pressure. With hybrid working now firmly established in many administrative roles, large areas of office space now sit underused, even as Trusts continue to bear the cost of heating, lighting, cleaning and maintaining them.
The recently published NHS Estate Optimisation Guide 2025 underscores the scale of the issue. Nine in ten NHS leaders report low to medium awareness of how their estate is actually used. More than half say they lack the complete data needed to make informed decisions, and over a third admit they do not have the in-house expertise to assess utilisation. Two-thirds point to a lack of funding for optimisation initiatives. These shortfalls contribute to inefficiencies, missed opportunities for savings and underused assets at a time when the NHS must deliver at least £1 billion in annual savings through smarter estate management. The NHS has set ambitious estate optimisation targets, including reducing non-clinical space to 30 per cent, with limits of just 20 per cent in new hospitals. Meeting these targets requires accurate measurement, intelligent planning and sustained action. One clear path to achieving these targets lies in using accurate, real-time data to inform estate strategy. Intelligent space management systems can show exactly how space is being used (or underused) across administrative buildings, clinical support areas and shared facilities. This knowledge allows Trusts to plan with precision, whether that means consolidating departments, reconfiguring layouts to better support collaboration, or freeing up surplus space to meet clinical needs.
Healthcare Space Management Optimisation platform MRI Software’s Healthcare Space Management Optimisation platform is designed to provide this visibility. By combining space planning, footfall intelligence, presence management, lease and facilities oversight, and advanced reporting, it enables NHS estates teams to make decisions that are both operationally and financially sound. At the heart of the platform, MRI Agora Insights brings data from multiple sources into a single, coherent view, so leaders can see utilisation rates, void space, cost per square metre, patient hours delivered and other key metrics at a glance. At King’s College Hospital, London, MRI’s Space Management Technology has just been implemented to drive significant cost savings and improved space utilisation. Technology alone, however, is not the whole answer. Many NHS estates teams are already stretched thin and may lack the time or expertise to interpret the data and implement changes. To address this, MRI Software also offers managed services that act as an extension of the Trust’s own team, including ongoing monitoring and analysis of utilisation data, strategic recommendations for
reconfiguration, the creation and management of drawings and floor plans, and support for change management as hybrid working models evolve. This combination of advanced tools and dedicated expertise ensures that space optimisation strategies deliver measurable, lasting impact.
Artificial intelligence now plays an important role in making these solutions even more effective. Predictive analytics can forecast future space demand, while automated allocation tools can dynamically assign offices, desks and meeting rooms based on real usage patterns. Smart sensors and IoT integrations feed live occupancy and environmental data into the system, enabling estates managers to fine-tune energy use, adjust cleaning schedules and address potential bottlenecks before they become problems. Ultimately, the question is not whether the NHS can afford to invest in better space management, but whether it can afford not to. Every underused office, empty meeting room or surplus building represents not just wasted cost, but a missed opportunity to reinvest in the frontline. By uniting occupancy data, footfall trends, lease details and operational metrics into a single source of truth, NHS leaders can make informed, confident decisions that improve efficiency, reduce costs and create more capacity for patient care.
Kevin Gilhooly, Interim Lead for MRI Healthcare Solutions
To find more about MRI’s Space Management solutions and discuss your requirements, contact their team today.
W:
mrisoftware.com/uk/healthcare/ E:
EMEASales@mrisoftware.com T: 020 3861 7100
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