Healthcare Property Issue 06 November-December 2024

11/2024

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024

Why we need to rethink our approach

to healthcare design and delivery

How private capital can bring longterm

solutions for the health estate

RAAC hospitals to be rebuilt despite

Labour's spending review

HEALTHCARE-PROPERTY.COM

Comment

W E L C O M E

Time for the

Government to step up

This edition of Healthcare Property was

completed just days before the annual

government Spending Review.

Each year the much-anticipated

policy statement sets out public

spending plans for government

departments, including the

Department of Health and

Social Care (DHSC).

And this year, in particular, the

sector is waiting to see whether the

new government will put its money

where its mouth is in terms of properly

funding both the health and social care

systems in order to reduce waiting lists

and deliver widespread operational and

service improvements.

While Wes Streeting’s promised shift from a

reactional to a preventative service — with primary care

improvements at its heart — is widely welcomed, there

is arguably a need to overhaul every area of both health

and social care to properly achieve reform.

And this includes the estate, which we know is

suffering from a plethora of issues, most notably ongoing

safety concerns over RAAC; huge backlog maintenance

problems; and the need to think differently about the

environments from which we deliver health and care

services due to the increasing innovation in technology.

Siva Anandaciva, interim co-director of policy, events,

and partnerships at health think tank, The Kings Fund,

wrote just last week that ‘capital investment in buildings

and equipment — often maintained in real terms at best

— is often earmarked for specific national priorities like

the New Hospital Programme’.

And he added: “The Autumn Budget may only be

the prelude to the wider Comprehensive Spending

Review next year, which will set longer-term budgets

for this parliament. But it is still an opportunity to send

an early signal that this government is

approaching things differently.

“An early indication that the

public health grant could increase

in real terms, allocating more capital

investment outside of hospital, giving

local systems more freedom over how

capital spending is prioritised, greater

use of central grants rather than local

taxes to support social care… any of

these actions would represent a turning

of the page and a real demonstration of

the Government’s commitment to its

stated reforms.”

You can read about some of the

challenges health and social care

operators are currently facing in this

edition, including news that issues with the estate

are contributing to ‘widespread failings’ in maternity

services; and a report by Prime Plc which highlights the

cost of inaction on NHS and GP buildings (News, P6).

Elsewhere, in our Design and Build section (p28)

we look at why people with dementia need to be more

involved in the design process; how designing health

services with more focus on integrated community

facilities offers a more-holistic, preventative view

of health and wellbeing; and we explore why a

rethink is needed in our approach to the delivery of

hospital schemes.

And Property and Finance features (p18) include

calls for a review of the current NHS funding system so

private capital can be used to address the many problems

facing the estate.

If you have any news or would like to comment on

key issues facing the healthcare property sector, please

contact joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

Jo Makosinski

Editor, Healthcare Property

About Jo: Jo is the editor of Healthcare Property, having

joined Nexus Media in November.

She has been specialising in design and construction

best practice within the health and care sector for the

past 15 years, working on the Building Better Healthcare

Awards and editing both Building Better Healthcare and

Healthcare Design & Management magazines.

She has a special interest in the design of mental health

and dementia care settings and in modern methods of

construction and energy efficiency.

HEALTHCARE-PROPERTY.COM NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024 | 3

Contents

Chief executive officer

Alex Dampier

Chief operating officer

Sarah Hyman

Chief marketing officer

Julia Payne

Editor

Joanne Makosinski

joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

Reporter and subeditor

Charles Wheeldon

Advertising & event sales director

Caroline Bowern

Business development executive

Kirsty Parks

Publisher

Harry Hyman

8 28

6-13 News

We round up the latest big stories,

including a new King’s Fund report

which highlights the role of the

estate in NHS staff recruitment;

how failing estates are contributing

to flaws in maternity services; and

the Government’s commitment to

ridding the NHS of RAAC

28-36 Building Design

Exploring the idea of designing

healthcare facilities with less

reliance on acute hospitals; why

people living with dementia

should be involved in building

design; and how the revamp of

Hythe and Dibden War Memorial

Hospital has impacted the staff and

patient experience

Investor Publishing Ltd, 3rd Floor,

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Tel: 020 7104 2000

Website: www.healthcare-property.com

Healthcare Property is published six times a year

by Investor Publishing Ltd.

ISSN 3029-0627

© Investor Publishing Limited 2024

The views expressed in Healthcare Property

are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers.

@HCprop

linkedin.com/company/healthcare-property/

14

14-16 Policy

A cross-party commission unveils

bold plans for 21st-century

health services; industry leaders

welcome delays to the publication

of the Procurement Act 2023;

and the Government pledges to

strengthen patient safety

18-23 Finance and Property

A new Christie & Co report

shows an uptick in the care home

property market; and there are

calls for private capital to be used

to address NHS estate issues

24

24-27 Awards

The finalists of the 2024 National

Care Awards are unveiled

38

38-40 Estates and Facilities

Management

Estates takeover at Cumbria trust;

FM firm wins Scottish hospital

contract; and how security

experts are helping to protect

medical gas supplies

46

42-48 Environmental

Government unveils new NHS

waste roadmap; hospitals win heat

network funding; and we look at

why sustainability is critical for the

social care sector

49-50 People Moves

The latest company recruitment

news from across the sector


News

Estates contributing to

NHS maternity crisis

The Government has been

warned it will need to increase

NHS capital spending after

‘unsuitable estates’ were

ruled to be contributing

to ‘widespread’ failings in

maternity services.

A major review by the

Care Quality Commission

(CQC) revealed that failings

in NHS maternity services

are so ‘widespread’ they risk

becoming ‘normalised’.

It found that dire care is ‘not

isolated’ to high-profile scandals

like East Kent and Shrewsbury

and Telford, where hundreds

of babies and mothers died or

suffered preventable harm.

And it stressed that many trusts

are not learning from mistakes,

instead choosing to treat incidents

as ‘inevitable’ rather than

accepting accountability.

The CQC said two thirds

of services either ‘require

improvement’ or are ‘inadequate’

for the safety of mothers

and their babies.

In an unprecedented move, the

regulator called for ‘increased

Image: Jas from Pixabay

national action’ and ring-fenced

investment to tackle the shortfalls.

One area of concern in the

report was around estates and

the environment.

It states: “Unsuitable maternity

estates emerged as another key

barrier to high-quality care.

“We found some maternity

units were not fit for purpose, as

they lacked space and facilities

and, in a small number of cases,

appropriate levels of potentially

life-saving equipment.

“Additional capital investment is

Health estate ‘crucial’ to staff

recruitment and retention

A hard-hitting new report has highlighted

the important role of the estate in helping

to address the ongoing workforce shortage

across the health service.

Mandated minimum standards for

healthcare facilities as part of improving

working conditions for staff is one of the

recommendations made by the King’s Fund’s

policy adviser, Jessica Holden, in a new

briefing to address NHS workforce challenges.

The paper calls for the provision of adequate

space and time for all staff to take breaks, rest,

and, where necessary, sleep.

It further calls for guaranteed access to

functioning lockers, bathroom facilities, and

nourishing food and drink in appropriate

settings, and says that employers

should receive funding to meet the

mandated standard.

Image, RM Healthcare from Pixabay

needed to ensure women receive

safe, timely care in an environment

that meets their needs.”

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting,

described the situation as a

‘national shame’ and vowed to fix

services, insisting that the current

state of affairs keeps him ‘awake at

night worrying’.

He added: “These findings are

cause for national shame.

“Women deserve better

— childbirth should not be

something they fear or look back

on with trauma.

“Failing to modernise its approach to flexible

working risks long-term NHS vacancies

becoming a permanent fixture, as the number

of UK workers expecting flexible working

options continues to rise,” the briefing warns.

As of May 2024, there were more than

100,000 vacancies across the NHS

“It is simply unacceptable that

nearly half of maternity units the

CQC reviewed are delivering

substandard care.”

NHS maternity care has been

under increased scrutiny following

several high-profile inquiries,

including more than 200 baby

deaths at the Shrewsbury and

Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and

the investigation into maternity

services in East Kent.

Inspectors visited 131 units

between August 2022 and

December 2023 as part of

a national programme to

reverse the trend.

The report also blamed poor

management with limited

learning when things go wrong,

failure to ensure safe and timely

assessment at triage, a lack of

oversight from trust boards, and

significant challenges in recruiting

and retaining staff.

It concludes: “Without action,

the danger is that poor care

and preventable harm will

become normalised.

“We cannot, and must not,

let that happen.”

workforce in England, excluding primary care

vacancies such as GPs.

Holden said: “Improving staff working

conditions will take time and effort across the

health and care system and at all levels.

“This briefing focuses on immediate

actions that can be taken by one group, the

new government, to start bringing muchneeded

improvements.

“While this is not a comprehensive list of

actions, the recommendations are early

measures new ministers can take to improve

working conditions and lay the foundations

for more comprehensively addressing chronic

staff shortages and increasing retention.

“The ultimate goal is to improve staff

wellbeing and productivity, and therefore

improve patients’ access to high-quality, safe,

effective care.”

6 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024 HEALTHCARE-PROPERTY.COM

News

The escalating cost of inaction

on NHS and GP estates

Prime report highlights need for urgent action to improve healthcare estates

A new report has shed light on the growing

financial and operational crisis facing NHS

estates, with data revealing that delaying

vital healthcare infrastructure projects can

increase costs by over 140% in a decade.

The report by Prime, entitled Deliver or

Delay? The Escalating Cost of Inaction on NHS

trusts and GP estates, reinforces the urgent

need for decisive action.

Five years ago, it was noted that a three-year

delay in NHS estates projects could spike

costs by more than 40%.

However, recent challenges — including

a global pandemic, economic turmoil,

and geopolitical tensions — have

exacerbated these risks.

INCREASED RISK

The maintenance backlog for NHS facilities

has doubled in the past decade, with high-risk

backlog items skyrocketing by 500%.

According to an indepth study by the

Institute for Fiscal Studies, the required

investment to eliminate the NHS England

maintenance backlog has soared from £5.5bn

in 2013-14 to a staggering £12.5bn in 2022-23.

This underscores the immense financial

burden that delays impose on the

healthcare system.

The period from March 2020 to March 2024

saw dramatic increases in building material

costs, with pre-cast concrete up by 85%,

insulating materials up by 58%, and metal

doors and windows up by 53%.

These rising costs further stress the

importance of timely investments.

OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES

Healthcare leaders are navigating complex

funding rules, which hampers their ability to

maintain equipment and buildings.

And this inaction leads to severe operational

Image: Claudia from Pixabay

challenges, affecting patient safety and

staff satisfaction.

Deteriorating infrastructure — evident in

broken lifts, leaking roofs, and structural risks

from materials like reinforced autoclaved

aerated concrete (RAAC) — poses significant

threats to both patients and staff.

WORKFORCE IMPACT

Poor working conditions and inadequate

staff facilities are also exacerbating the NHS’s

recruitment and retention issues.

Image: Rturdrobniak from Pixabay

…transformational change is achievable if leaders

focus on solutions within their control

Post-pandemic, healthcare professionals

are leaving the field for better working

conditions and pay, with the NHS currently

facing a staggering shortage of 121,000 fulltime-equivalent

staff, with only 25% of the

workforce believing there are enough staff at

their organisation.

The reliance on agency staff to cover

shortages diverts critical funds from

infrastructure projects, creating a vicious cycle.

And, although the NHS Long Term Workforce

Plan aims to bolster workforce numbers over

the next six years, the necessary infrastructure

to support new staff remains insufficient.

Navigating the labyrinth of funding streams,

approvals, and competing priorities can make

building new NHS infrastructure feel like an

overwhelming task

A PATH FORWARD

The newly-released report delves into the

current challenges and proposes solutions to

break free from the cycle of short-term fixes.

It also highlights successful projects across

the country that demonstrate transformative

change is possible.

With bold leadership and a revised

approach, the report argues, the NHS can

achieve significant progress.


News

RAAC hospitals

prioritised for repair

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn is one of the seven hospitals which will be redeveloped

Upgrades to hospital estates affected by

reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete

(RAAC) will ‘proceed at pace’ despite

the Labour government’s ongoing

spending review.

The new administration announced in July it

would review the Conservative's flagship New

Hospital Programme (NHP), which pledged to

build or expand 40 hospitals by 2030.

This prompted concerns that redevelopment

work and the removal of RAAC

would be stalled.

But Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has

told MPs that the seven hospitals in the

programme which were constructed largely

of RAAC, will not be considered under the

scope of the review and redevelopment

work will go ahead.

The hospitals are:

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn

• Leighton Hospital, Crewe

• James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth

• Frimley Park Hospital, Camberley

• Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon

• Airedale Hospital, Keighley

• West Suffolk Hospital

A spokesman for Frimley Health NHS

Foundation Trust, which runs Frimley Park

Hospital, said of the announcement: “We

are delighted that the Government has

confirmed that all RAAC schemes are

exempt from its review of the national New

Hospital Programme.

“This means the new Frimley Park Hospital

has been formally confirmed as sitting outside

of the broader review and given the green light

to continue to move forward as planned.

“We are being actively supported by

the national NHP to maintain progress to

ensure the new hospital will be open as

soon as possible.

A NEW FUTURE

“While we were always confident that our new

hospital would remain a priority, we know the

announcement of the review into the national

NHP raised questions and uncertainty in

our community, and so we welcome this

additional clarity and renewed commitment.

“This is an exciting once-in-a-generation

opportunity for us to transform the future

of healthcare for our staff, patients, and

local communities.”

Hannah Coffey, chief executive of North

West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which

runs Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon,

added: “This is excellent news for our patients

and staff as it enables us to eradicate RAAC

from our hospital site for good.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be able to

While we were always

confident that our new

hospital would remain

a priority, we know

the announcement

of the review into

the national NHP

raised questions and

uncertainty in our

community, and

so we welcome this

additional clarity and

renewed commitment


News

We are incredibly

fortunate to be able

to forge ahead with

our build programme

and are excited to

be able to provide a

hospital that will meet

the needs of our future

patients for many

decades to come

The Hinchingbrooke site as it stands today

forge ahead with our build programme and

are excited to be able to provide a hospital that

will meet the needs of our future patients for

many decades to come.”

REVIEW SCOPE

On 20 September, The Department of Health

and Social Care (DHSC) published the terms

of reference for the NHP review.

And it stated that the probe will assess ‘the

appropriate schedule for delivery of schemes

in the context of overall constraints to hospital

building and wider health infrastructure

priorities, while also looking at where

improvements can be made’.

Out of scope will be schemes that

have approved full business cases,

and any associated phases that have

specific commitments.

The review assumes these will continue to

their current delivery timelines.

Also out of scope will be the critical seven

hospitals with RAAC, which will ‘proceed

at pace due to the substantive safety risks

associated with these’.

Instead the review will consider all

remaining hospitals in the programme

without full business case approvals for their

main build phase.

A CLEAR APPROACH

The review will present a full range of options

to be taken forward for the overall size and

ambition of the programme to provide a clear

approach for the programme going forward.

The review will also feed into the spending

review process, where decisions on the

outcome will be taken in the round and the

Government will confirm the outcome of the

How the new hospital could look with the old RAAC

hospital removed for future development opportunities

review as part of that process.

The review was requested by Streeting and

the Chancellor of the Exchequer and will be

jointly led and resourced across the DHSC,

NHS England, and HM Treasury (HMT).

It will be led by the director for delivery,

performance, and assurance in the DHSC’s

New Hospital Programme sponsor team,

along with senior colleagues from the NHS

England delivery team and HMT.

KEY OFFICIALS

A steering group, including representation

from HMT, the Cabinet Office, and the

Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), will

be convened to oversee the review, directed

by the senior responsible owner for the NHP,

the chief financial officer at NHS England,

the director general for finance at the DHSC,

and senior officials in HMT, reporting to the

Permanent Secretary of the DHSC.

It will conclude ‘as soon as possible’ and will

be submitted to Streeting and the Treasury

for consideration.

Under the review, key data will be collated for

each of the hospitals, including criteria around

clinical outcomes, deliverability, cost, and

estate condition.

Data will be drawn from existing sources

where possible. Where the information is not

held, or not up to date, further data may be

requested from NHS trusts or regional teams.

The hospitals in scope will be prioritised

according to the criteria.

The review will look at the possible timelines

for delivery for each scheme, along with clinical

considerations, risk, and cost profiles and

present a range of options to be taken forward.

Options and recommendations for phasing

of the programme will then be established for

ministers to consider.

The recommended options for scope, size,

and phasing will be supported by confirmation

of the optimum approach for delivery,

underpinning clinical assumptions and the

associated commercial strategy.


News • Projects

£40m hospital

development completed

West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven,

part of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS

Foundation Trust (NCIC), has opened its

doors following a £40m redevelopment.

The milestone marks the completion of

a new 55,860sq ft, two-storey extension

delivered by GRAHAM through the

ProCure22 framework.

Designed by Gilling Dod Architects, the

state-of-the-art facility incorporates up to 70%

modern methods of construction (MMC),

demonstrating a successful integration of

innovative building techniques into healthcare

infrastructure.

It includes specialised wards and units

that cater to a diverse range of healthcare

needs, including:

• Specialist palliative care unit and

stepdown community ward (Loweswater

Suite and Copeland Unit): Located on

the ground floor, this unit offers private

rooms and access to a tranquil courtyard,

providing a calming environment for patients

and their families

• Children and young people’s wards: These

wards feature upgraded rooms with en-suite

facilities, creating a welcoming and safe

environment for children and young people

• Care of the elderly ward: Designed with

dementia-friendly features, this ward

includes six four-bedded bays, eight ensuite

side rooms, and communal spaces to

promote social interaction

• Stroke rehabilitation unit: Situated on the

ground floor, this unit provides an outdoor

rehabilitation area, private family room,

and a mix of single rooms and bays to

accommodate varying patient needs

The building integrates advanced medical

facilities with patient-centric design to

enhance both the quality of care and the

overall patient experience, with private

therapeutic outdoor courtyards and dedicated

family spaces for private meetings and

consultations.

NCIC chief executive, Lyn Simpson, said:

“I’m really proud of everyone who has brought

this project to life over the last four years, none

more so than our own staff who have been

integral in getting the right design approved

and over the line for their patients.

“This will make a huge difference to our

patient experience and we hope our patients

and visitors and the rest of the team will agree

it has been a great project and certainly worth

all the hard work.”

Peter Reavey, regional director at

GRAHAM, added: “The new facilities at West

Cumberland Hospital will greatly improve the

provision of healthcare services locally.

“Using modern methods of construction,

we’ve delivered a building that not only meets,

but exceeds, current healthcare standards.”

Kids’ radiology department gets £3m makeover

The paediatric radiology department at

Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham

has re-opened after an upgrade to improve

facilities and increase capacity.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

invested £3m into the improvement works,

which have created 50% more space, with a

new waiting area and two larger X-ray rooms.

The increased size of rooms also allows for

easier hoisting of patients and access for beds

and wheelchairs.

And the department is equipped with

new state-of-the-art Fuji X-ray equipment,

including a long imaging detector which uses

a low radiation dose, an important factor when

imaging children, and allows the whole spine

and lower body to be captured in one image.

The technology is one of only four

across the country.

The walls of the new rooms have been

painted with themed murals to help provide a

calm and stimulating environment for patients,

their families, and staff.

Commenting on the improvements, Sumit

Jagani, head of radiology services, said: “It is

fantastic to see the new department reopen.

“The larger footprint and X-ray rooms allows

us to perform over 16,000 examinations a year.

“We also now have a dedicated quiet room

to support difficult conversations with our

patients and carers and the new waiting

area can accommodate beds, hoists, and

supportive medical equipment, which allows

us to be inclusive in the care we deliver.

“Having the equipment, environment, and

space complements the skill and enthusiasm

of our team and creates the excellent patient

experience we strive for.”

Nigel Gregory, chief executive of Nottingham

Hospitals Charity, added: “Thanks to our

supporters, we’ve been able to fund special

additions for the new paediatric radiology

department, such as colourful wall art and

privacy screens, to help make appointments

less daunting for young patients.

“We hope the jungle and space-themed

wall art will provide a welcome distraction

for children undergoing X-rays and scans,

helping to reduce their anxiety and speed

up appointments.”


News • Projects

A piece of history

The first first phase of restoration works

at the historic Grade I-listed Finsbury

Health Centre in Clerkenwell have

been completed.

The building, designed by Berthold Lubetkin

in 1935, opened to patients in 1938.

It received partial restoration works in

the 1990s, but required further repair due

to water damage.

Building owner, NHS Property Services

(NHSPS), commissioned Avanti Architects

and worked alongside NHS colleagues at

North Central London Integrated Care System

(ICS) to initiate remedial works on the centre,

with the first phase of works completed in

May this year.

A total investment of £1.5m will be injected

into the restoration scheme, including £1.4m

from NHSPS and £100,000 of Community

Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds from

Islington Council.

Following full heritage assessments, the first

phase has now been completed, undertaken

sympathetically to respect the building’s

unique significance while keeping disruption

to services and patient access to a minimum.

Works on the roof were carried out

in 2021, during which a waterproof

membrane was applied.

The recently-completed works include

repairs to the façades, replacement windows,

curtain walling, and tiling to the clinical wings,

replacement of heavily-damaged glass

blockwork screens, and render and concrete

repairs at the rear.

Belinda Cameron, senior capital manager

Work has started on the construction

of a new £11m health centre on the

outskirts of Norwich.

NHS Property Services (NHSPS); NHS

Norfolk & Waveney; and developer, Darwin

Group, have begun groundworks at the site of

the new Rackheath Health Hub, which is due

to open next year.

The hub will house primary care and

community services and will be delivered

through offsite construction methods.

The building will be made up of 45

modules making up around 16,000sq ft of

internal floor space.

The scheme will provide essential new

infrastructure to the local area, where it is

also expected that additional housing will be

delivered over the coming months and years.

Barry Clark, capital manager for

national major projects at NHSPS, said:

Finsbury Medical Centre

for London at NHSPS, said: “Following on

from the roof works in 2021, the initial phase of

facade replacement at Finsbury Health Centre

is now complete.

“This marks a key milestone in the

restoration of the health centre and will ensure

that this seminal building is preserved for

future generations.”

Avanti Architects carefully sourced materials

to replicate the building’s aesthetic, preserving

the historic look and feel.

Previous restorations in 1990 were led by

architect, John Allan, an authority on the

building and friend of original architect,

Berthold Lubetkin.

Maintaining these ties, works have been

“The new centre will offer both existing

and future residents in Rackheath a

state-of-the-art facility that, to its core, is

sustainable and modern.

“Through our partnership we will be able to

help health professionals deliver the care that

patients deserve in space that is welcoming,

sustainable, and fit for purpose.”

The new facility will include modernised

consultation and examination rooms,

community areas, and district nurse facilities,

as well as back-office and shared space.

Paul Higham, associate director of estates

at NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said “We are

pleased to be working together with local

partners to continue to progress the planned

development for a new healthcare facility in

the Rackheath area that will further improve

residents’ access to health and care services

now, and for the future.

led by Avanti Architects’ director and project

leader, Fiona Lamb, with consultancy

input from Allan.

The building currently features on the Historic

England Heritage ‘At Risk’ register. However,

following the delivery of the first two phases of

works, NHSPS is liaising with Historic England

regarding the downgrading of the risk rating of

the building, with the aim to remove it from the

At Risk register entirely in the longer term.

Lamb said: “The work undertaken to date

has involved every type of repair and upgrade

required at the centre and we look forward

to overseeing the further phases needed

to achieve the complete restoration of this

internationally-renowned building.”

Groundwork paves way for Norwich health hub

“The planned Hub at Rackheath will help to

transform how health and care services are

delivered, bringing services closer to where

people live, enabling more-joined-up care, and

supporting residents to access information

and wider services that will help them to live

healthy and well.”

Darwin Group was appointed by NHSPS and

NHS Norfolk & Waveney to deliver the build.

The company’s deputy chief executive, Jim

Pierce, said: “This has been in the planning for

some time now and, when open, it will offer

patients a state-of-the-art medical facility with

excellent working conditions for all staff.

“We also understand how important

this medical facility will be for the growing

population of Rackheath and the wider

community as it will help with future demand

and medical care in the area for many

years to come.”


News • Projects

Partnership repurposes

vacant space

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has

partnered with MSI Reproductive Choices

to repurpose Woodfarm Health Centre and

Chess Medical Centre in Oxford to deliver

state-of-the-art reproductive services.

The previously-vacant sites, retained by NHS

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire

West Integrated Care Board (ICB), have been

leased for 10 years following a competitive

bidding process and MSI Reproductive

Choices has been commissioned by the ICB

to deliver essential reproductive services

to Oxfordshire.

The organisation opened its first clinic

in central London in 1976 and has grown

into one of the world’s-largest providers of

contraception and safe abortion services.

MSI Reproductive Choices is investing

£500,000 to refurbish Woodfarm Health

Centre – which has been vacant for over

a decade, with NHSPS also involved in

delivering some of the improvements.

These include implementing net carbon zero

sustainability measures by installing new roofmounted

solar panels.

The solar PV system is designed to optimise

the building’s estimated energy consumption,

with estimated yearly savings of 6,160kWph

— equivalent to charging a smartphone once

a day 3,366 times, or the same impact as

planting 55 trees a year.

Given MSI's wider requirements in the

region, the organisation has also agreed to

acquire space at the previously-vacant first

floor of Chess Medical Centre.

MSI will be running a service from three

clinical rooms alongside reactivating a

reception area and waiting room.

Boost for staff at Stockport hospital

Work on new staff accommodation at the

emergency department at Stepping Hill

Hospital in Stockport has been completed.

Tilbury Douglas has handed over

the newly-completed development to

Stockport NHS Trust.

The modern accommodation includes

offices, meeting rooms, and welfare facilities,

designed to enhance team collaboration,

professional development, and overall

staff wellbeing.

This improved environment is expected

to boost staff satisfaction and retention,

ultimately supporting the trust in delivering

high-quality patient care.

The scheme is part of a larger project

that includes extensive remodelling of

the emergency department, with 2,600sq

m of refurbished space and 1,300sq m

of new-build facilities, with a focus on

creating new assessment, treatment, and

consultation areas.

These improvements will serve key

emergency and urgent care services,

including the children’s emergency

department, mental health services, and

same-day emergency care.

Additionally, the ambulance drop-off area

has been redesigned for better accessibility

and efficiency.

Martin Horne, regional director for the

Kirsty Goddard, head of operations at MSI

Reproductive Choices UK, said: “These sites

have enabled us to expand access to abortion

and contraception services in the area —

ensuring people can make an informed choice

about their body and future.”

David Lloyd, senior estates manager

at NHSPS, added: “We’re truly proud to

announce this partnership. It not only

optimises the use of available spaces in the

facilities, but also aligns with our commitment

to deliver excellent patient care.

“By securing these leases, we’re supporting

MSI’s valuable work while ensuring that our

sites are utilised to their fullest potential.”

North West at Tilbury Douglas, said: “We

are incredibly proud to have reached this

important milestone at Stepping Hill Hospital.

“The new staff accommodation is about

more than just modern facilities; it’s about

enhancing the wellbeing and efficiency of the

emergency department team, enabling them

to deliver even better care to patients during

critical moments.”

Jackie McShane, executive director of

operations for Stockport NHS Foundation

Trust, added: “It was fantastic to both see and

celebrate these new facilities.

“They are already providing a greatlyimproved

environment from which our

emergency and urgent care colleagues can

provide care for our patients.”

The work was made possible following

funding from Stockport NHS Charity.

£2.6M INVESTMENT IN MINOR OPERATIONS SUITE

A £2.6m minor operations suite has

opened at Spire Claremont Hospital,

delivering shorter waiting times and a

wider range of treatments to NHS and

private patients across Sheffield and the

surrounding areas.

The suite mainly accommodates minor

operations that do not require a general

anaesthetic and is expected to facilitate over

5,000 procedures a year.

The space freed up by the move will

enable the hospital to perform almost 800

more-complex procedures every year in its

existing theatres.

And the eight recovery bays in the new

minor treatment suite will help to release

more space on the ward for patients

requiring longer stays.

Tim Smith, hospital director, said: “By

increasing our capacity to deliver more minor

and complex procedures, we will be reducing

waiting times and improving the overall

patient experience.

“Our investment into this new facility will

not only benefit our private patients, but also

support the NHS by alleviating pressure on

local healthcare services.”


News • Projects

QEH completes new building

A six-bed discharge lounge and five-bed

palliative care ward have been created in

a newly-constructed facility at the Queen

Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn by

MTX Contracts using modern methods of

construction (MMC).

The two-storey facility is a stand-alone

building which has been designed to be

reused when the planned new hospital is

built, with bespoke ground-floor and first-floor

corridors linking back to the main building and

hospital ‘street’.

The discharge lounge was commissioned

to support the ongoing reinforced autoclaved

aerated concrete (RAAC) failsafe programme

of works within the QEH site.

It provides care for patients who are ready

to leave hospital as they wait to go home or

receive further care in the community.

The existing discharge lounge will

be demolished as part of the RAAC

eradication works.

The five-bed palliative care unit on the first

floor of the new building provides patients

with a dignified and comfortable place to

receive end-of-life care.

And it has been specially designed to

provide a calming and peaceful space away

from busy hospital wards.

Each of the rooms is ensuite and

sympathetically equipped so family members

can be comfortable as they spend precious

time with their loved ones.

The two-storey building is located in a

courtyard at the rear of the hospital site, which

allows easier access for patients and staff and

will take high volumes of site traffic away from

the busy hospital ‘front door’ and emergency

department areas of the site.

It will also enhance privacy for patients

being discharged.

The design includes a new bedlift for

easy patient access to the ground-floor

discharge area.

Internal fitout of the new building included

HTM-compliant air handling systems

along with power, medical gases, and other

bedside services.

The contract was awarded by the Queen

Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS

Foundation Trust and MTX worked closely

with the trust’s multi-disciplinary design and

construction consultancy partner, exi, which is

managing the RAAC failsafe programme.

MTX and its MMC methodology was

chosen following the company’s successful

delivery of the new endoscopy building on the

QEH site in 2023.

MTX managing director, David Hartley,

explained: “The new building was fabricated

offsite while complex enabling works and

site preparation was undertaken prior to

the factory-manufactured structural units

arriving on site.

“The project required re-routing of existing

services and building within the constraints

of a tight courtyard site surrounded by live

hospital wards and the Macmillan Centre.

“This meant craning in modules was the

best solution because it reduced overall site/

construction time and fit within the tight RAAC

programme, while minimising disruption to the

existing site operation and services.

“Using MMC principles enables us to

maximise offsite manufacturing opportunities

and the use of precisely-engineered structural

modules to build faster, safer, greener, and

more cost effectively.”

Simon Illingworth, the trust’s chief operating

officer, added: “The discharge lounge will have

a positive impact on flow through our hospital.

“Every patient who is ready to be discharged

that we can get home or into community has

a positive impact on other patients waiting for

treatment and frees up beds on our wards for

people who need acute medical care.”


Policy

Image, Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Cross-party commission

unveils bold plan for

21st-century health services

Leading figures from health, politics, and wider society propose most-ambitious blueprint for the nation’s

health since the Beveridge Report

A

comprehensive plan for a modern

21st-century health creation system

has been unveiled in a major report

aimed at kickstarting a once-in-a-generation

rethink of national health policy to revitalise

wellbeing and the UK economy.

The Institute for Public Policy Research’s

(IPPR) cross-party Commission on Health

and Prosperity — chaired by top surgeon,

Lord Ara Darzi, and Professor Dame Sally

Davies, former chief medical officer for

England, has concluded its almost-threeyear

enquiry into the interaction between

health and the economy.

The commissioners — who include Andy

Burnham, Manchester mayor and a former

health secretary; and Lord James Bethell,

a former Conservative health minister,

find that the UK’s worsening public health

crisis is linked to the country’s faltering

There is a limit to which pushing the NHS’s

workforce, equipment, and estate to its limit —

‘running it hot’ — works before productivity

falls off a cliff

economic performance.

And they say that better health is the

most-important medicine the economy

needs for the faster growth that the new

government has identified as one of its

five key missions.

WORKFORCE CHALLENGES

The final report — which comes shortly

after Lord Ara Darzi’s review into the state of

the NHS — conducted new analysis which

shows health could solve many of Britain’s

most-pressing economic challenges, including

low growth and productivity.

The findings include:

• If trends continue, economic inactivity

due to sickness could hit 4.3 million by

the end of this parliament, up from 2.8

million today. As of the end of 2023,

an estimated 900,000 extra workers are

missing from work

• These 900,000 missing workers could

mean an estimated £5bn in lost tax receipts


Policy

in 2024, while better population health

could save the NHS £18bn per year

by the mid-2030s

• Some occupations — including caring

roles — have seen particularly-high

rates of workers becoming inactive due

to sickness. The rate of inactivity due to

sickness is highest among the workingage

populations of Northern Ireland, the

North East, and Wales

The commission, which began working in

early 2022 and was first to identify economic

inactivity due to sickness as a major postpandemic

challenge, has concluded that

better health is Britain’s greatest untapped

path to prosperity.

At the core of its recommendations is to

move from a reactive, sickness-orientated

20th-century healthcare system into a

pro-active 21st-century health creation

system, working in parallel to the NHS’s

‘sickness service’.

The overarching goal for the health

creation system would be to add 10 years

to healthy life expectancy by 2055 and to

halve regional health inequalities.

OVEN READY

To do that, the commission sets out an ‘ovenready’

first parliament policy programme

for the new government’s health mission

— covering a bold new childhood health

programme, a comprehensive health

industrial strategy to penalise polluters and

support innovators, nationwide restoration

of critical community infrastructure,

higher standards for health at work, and

more-integrated health and employment

support services.

And proposed measures will also include

developing a new ‘neighbourhood health

centre’ in every part of the country: a onestop

shop for diagnostics, primary care,

mental health, and public health with a

focus on prevention.

This will mean a need for increased

capital investment in the estate.

The report says: “There is a limit to which

pushing the NHS’s workforce, equipment,

and estate to its limit — ‘running it hot’ —

works before productivity falls off a cliff.

“It is this that explains why more money

and more staff in recent years have delivered

very little extra activity.

BETTER OUTPUTS

“To ensure the NHS works for public health

and public finances — that is, to ensure

it is both a high-quality and sustainable

sickness service — demands a new approach

to productivity.

“We propose a strategy of ensuring the

foundations of more and better outputs are

in place, as opposed to simply constraining

If we do not get prevention and productivity

right, and if we do not achieve on the other health

creation shifts proposed by this report, the future

of the NHS looks very uncertain

resource. This would mean investing in the

workforce to reboot staff motivation after

the pandemic; boosting NHS investment in

capital and the estate; and ensuring better

use of digital, technology, and innovation.

“If we do not get prevention and

productivity right, and if we do not achieve

on the other health creation shifts proposed

by this report, the future of the NHS looks

very uncertain.”

Lord Darzi added: “Our commission

was among the first to identify the rising

sickness as a major and immediate postpandemic

fiscal challenge.

“Now, as the Government sets up its

health mission, our final report provides

a ready-made policy vision for a new

approach to public health.”

RINSE AND REPEAT

And Lord Bethell said: “For too long,

the default political answer to this

country’s health crisis has been more of

the same: more doctors, more hospitals,

rinse and repeat.

“This commission now proves that

disease and bankruptcy beckon if

we unthinkingly continue with this

ineffective approach.

"It’s time to think differently. There is

no more exciting vision for the future of

Britain than in the reform agenda put

forward by this report.

“It’s time for a new health policy where

we all play our par — businesses, employers,

investors, individuals, communities, and

families alike.” n

For too long, the default political answer to this

country’s health crisis has been more of the same:

more doctors, more hospitals, rinse and repeat


Policy

Decision to delay

Procurement Act welcomed

Industry leaders have

welcomed the Cabinet

Office’s decision to delay

implementation of the

Procurement Act 2023 to

enable a policy statement

to be produced.

The Act, which received

royal assent on 26 October 2023, will be delayed

from 28 October 2024 to 24 February 2025 to

allow the Government to provide a new National

Procurement Policy Statement.

Announcing the decision, Georgina Gould,

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office,

said: “Under the Act, the previous administration

published a National Procurement Policy

Statement to which contracting authorities will

have to have regard.

“But this statement does not meet the

challenge of applying the full potential of

public procurement to deliver value for money,

economic growth, and social value.

“I have therefore taken the decision to begin

the vital work of producing a new National

Procurement Policy Statement that clearly

sets out this Government’s priorities for public

procurement in support of our missions.

“It is crucial that the new regime in the Act

goes live with a bold and ambitious statement

that drives delivery of the Government’s

missions and, therefore, I am proposing a short

delay to the commencement of the Act to

February 2025 so this work can be completed.

“I am confident that the extra time to prepare

will allow for a more-seamless transition,

ensuring a smoother and more-effective

implementation process for both contracting

authorities and suppliers.”

The Procurement Act 2023 aims to create a

simpler and more-transparent regime for public

sector procurement that will deliver better value

for money and reduce costs for business and

the public sector.

It will also act as a framework to drive

economic growth and open up public

procurement to new entrants such as small

businesses and social enterprises.

Welcoming the delay, Louise Bennett, senior

associate specialising in public procurement at

UK and Ireland law firm, Browne Jacobson, told

Healthcare Property: “A four-month delay to the

implementation of the Act gives much-needed

breathing space to public authorities, a large

number of which understandably weren’t ready

for the significant changes it brings due to the

late arrival of statutory guidance.

“This legislation will fundamentally transform

how the public sector purchases goods and

services, with an overarching principle of

ensuring it delivers value for money, maximises

public benefit, and acts with integrity throughout

a procurement exercise that should also

continue to focus on equal treatment to bidders.

“It places a greater emphasis on transparency,

supplier performance, and non-financial

criteria such as quality, local job creation, and

environmental impact.

“This requires public authorities to review

procedures and skillsets within their

organisation before the Act comes into force,

while contract management should be top of

the ongoing strategic considerations in order to

run smooth procurement exercises.

“They would be wise to use the extra time

afforded by the Government to ensure they are

up to speed on the new regulations and have

everything in place so they are now ready from

24 February next year.”

GOVERNMENT PLEDGES ACTION TO STRENGTHEN PATIENT SAFETY

Patient safety across health and social

care is set to be bolstered as the

Government takes action to improve

the effectiveness and efficiency of

key organisations.

The move, aimed at ensuring the country

has the best system in place to keep patients

safe, comes as a major review of the Care

Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) operational

effectiveness is published in full.

The report, led by Dr Penny Dash, chair

of the North West London Integrated Care

Board, identifies significant internal failings at

the regulator which are hampering its ability

to identify poor performance at hospitals,

care homes, and GP practices.

Its interim conclusions, published in July,

prompted the Health and Social Care

Secretary to order immediate action to

restore public confidence in the effectiveness

of health and social care regulation.

The full report confirms significant failings

at the CQC in regard to its operational

effectiveness, including poor performance in

relation to inspections and a lack of capacity

and capability to deliver improvements.

And it provides seven specific

recommendations for improvement, which

the new Secretary of State for Health and

Social Care, Wes Streeting, fully supports.

This includes recommending that the CQC

formally pauses the implementation of its

assessments of integrated care systems as it

works to restore public confidence in health

and care regulation.

This will allow the CQC to focus on

getting the basics right when assessing the

organisations it regulates.

The Health and Social Care Secretary has

now asked Dr Dash to conduct two further

reviews moving her focus from operational

effectiveness to patient safety and quality.

The first review will examine the roles

and remits of six key organisations and

make recommendations on whether

patient safety could be bolstered through a

different approach.

These are:

• CQC, including the Maternity and

Newborn Safety Investigations

programme (MNSI)

• National Guardian’s Office (NGO)

• Healthwatch England (HWE) and the

Local Healthwatch (LHW) network

• Health Services Safety Investigations

Body (HSSIB)

• Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC)

• NHS Resolution (quality and safety

functions only)

A further review will focus on quality and its

governance. This will guide the Government’s

next steps as it continues its drive for

positive cultural change across health and

social care.

All findings will also inform the

Government’s 10-year Health Plan to

transform the NHS and social care services

and make them fit for the future.

Streeting said: “Patient safety is the bedrock

of a healthy NHS and social care system.

That’s why we are taking steps to reform

the CQC, to root out poor performance, and

ensure patients can have confidence in its

ratings once again.

“This government will never turn a blind

eye to failure. An overly-complex system of

healthcare regulation and oversight is no

good for patients or providers.

“We will overhaul the system to make

it effective and efficient, to protect

patient safety.”


Finance and Property

Care home property market

sees increased activity

We look at the take-home points from Christie & Co’s annual Care Home Market Review 2024

Operators and investors in the care

home sector are reporting a rise in

confidence in the property market,

according to a new report from specialist

business property adviser, Christie & Co.

The Care Market Review 2024 report

analyses a range of topics relating to the

UK healthcare business market, including

capital markets, land, and development;

the transactional market; shifts in local

authority fee rates; operator sentiment; the

finance landscape; and includes a Q&A

with Matt Lowe, chief executive of LNT

Care Developments.

Here, we look at the main findings

from this paper.

CAPITAL MARKETS

Due to the strong needs-driven underpin

and defensive characteristics of the sector,

healthcare remains a highly-attractive asset

class to investors.

However, the higher cost of capital has

been a key issue for investors.

This is illustrated at a macro level by the

increase in the Bank of England base rate

from 3.5% at the start of 2023 to 5.25% at

the end of the year.

This increase was driven by wider

inflationary pressures, with other important

metrics like 10-year UK Government

gilt yields increasing to a high of 4.6%

in August 2023.

As we move further into the second half

of 2024, there are clear signs that yields

have stabilised with market activity picking

up — with a steady increase in the volume

of investment activity, a number of major

processes being launched, and more funds

looking to actively participate as buyers.

This reflects a combination of new capital

entering the market and existing funds

becoming more acquisitive.

And it is illustrated well by both real

estate investment activity and wider

corporate/private equity transactions.

LAND AND DEVELOPMENT

The UK planning system continues to

be unpredictable and protracted, with

refusals occurring at a local level often for

political reasons or simply-poor processing

of applications due to under-resourced

planning departments.

Market participants are also now having

to navigate recent planning policies such as

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Nitrate

Neutrality, which can be both challenging

and costly to adhere to.

In addition, a recent update to Part

L Building Regulations is placing moreonerous

standards relating to the energy

performance of new buildings, which has

also increased construction costs.

However, the Christie & Co report notes

a general stabilisation of construction costs

following a period of significant inflation,

and recent tender pricing has pointed to a

settling down of this key component, which

is allowing confidence to return.

Despite a correction in land values across

many property sectors, land values for care

home development sites are faring better,

with operators increasingly recognising the

value in the certainty that consented sites

provide, and the supply continues to be

constrained by the planning system.

Additional value creation continues

to take place in the UK by way of Opco

multiples being achieved by high-quality

leasehold platforms, and Christie &

Co anticipates seeing more evidence

of transactions to support this over the

next 12 months.

The supply of purpose-built senior

housing is significantly behind that of other

developed countries, but delivery volumes

and planning activity are now steadily

increasing in the UK.

Recent schemes in the UK have generally

catered for either the luxury or affordable

ends of the market, but newer entrants are

targeting the mid market, where there is the

attraction of mass demand.

Established retirement living providers

have continued to bring forward schemes

of 50-80 units in urban areas close to high

street amenities.

However, Christie & Co is increasingly

seeing successful applications for larger

Integrated Retirement Communities

(IRC) products.

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

An analysis of Christie & Co’s transactional

data revealed an increase in the proportion

of larger care home sales in the first half of

2024, with the sale of assets over 40 beds

comprising 58% of its total volume, compared

with 52% in 2023.

Meanwhile, the percentage of sales

of homes with under 20 beds dropped

to 11% of its volume, broadly similar

to 2022 figures.

And the proportion of transactions

concluded to new entrants in the first

half of 2024 was over double that

of 2023, at 9%.

However, the number of first-time

buyers was at an all-time low in 2023,

reflecting a tough lending environment in

2022 together with a sector that was still

recovering from the pandemic.

Small and medium groups were the

most-active buyer group in the first half

of 2024, representing 33% of Christie &

Co’s completions.

However, the number of deals concluded

to larger groups declined, shifting from 36%

in 2023 to 29% in the first half of 2024.

This is likely to be due to the softening of

yields in 2023, reducing activity in the saleand-leaseback

market.

An analysis of the vacant possession deals

transacted in 2023 shows that 58% were

sold to care-related buyers.

Twenty four per cent of the transactions

were to buyers seeking to convert the

property to a specialist care facility, and

20% of buyers sought to reconfigure the

property and re-open as an elderly care

facility. And 27 per cent of closed care

homes sold through the broker went to

residential developers.



FEE RATES

Christie & Co analysed a Freedom of

Information Act survey, covering all 174

local authorities across England, Wales, and

Scotland. It found an average residential fee

increase in England of 9% compared with

9.5% in 2023/24.

Fee rate levels remain a challenge in some

areas, with the increases being insufficient

to offset inflationary cost pressures, and

Christie & Co expects that the burden

on the self-funded client base is likely

to rise, with the majority of providers

achieving private fee increases of between

5%-10% or more.

OPERATOR SENTIMENT

Christie & Co interviewed a cross-section of

local and regional care providers throughout

the UK to gather their sentiments on the

sector. The survey revealed:

• 60% of operators in the UK have a

reduction in agency usage over the last 12

months, whereas only 13% stated agency

usage had increased. 75% of providers

in Wales reported a reduction in agency

usage with only 50% of Scottish providers

reporting a decline

• 59% of operators reported an increase in

local authority fee rates

• In Wales, 88% of providers reported local

authority fee increases of between 5%-10%.

As in England there is a huge disparity in

baseline local authority fees, with a 29%

difference between the highest-paying

authority in Wales to the lowest

• Private fee rates increased across all

country regions, with 63% of operators

reporting a 5%-10% increase. 18% of

respondents reported increases of over 10%,

compared with 36% with local authority

fees, suggesting there has been some

improvement on the LA side to align fees

• 62% of surveyed operators from England

reported a 5%-10% increase in private fee

rates, and 27% of Welsh-based providers

surveyed increased their private fee

rates by over 10%

• In England and Scotland, over 40% of

respondents are looking to expand their

portfolios, while sentiment is stronger

in Wales where 67% of respondents are

looking to acquire in the next 12 months

• Given the uncertainty around interest rates,

there remained some degree of caution

from operators, with a quarter still unsure

over their appetite going forward

FINANCE LANDSCAPE

In a section on the finance landscape, Christie

Finance notes a positive sentiment from

funders lending into the sector and an increase

in demand for finance, with the broker having

completed 23% more transactions in the

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS - INSTRUCTION VOLUMES

INSTRUCTION VOLUMES

H1

2020

H2

2020

H1

2021

H2

2021

first half of 2024 against the 49% increase in

offers of finance.

There has also been an increase in

operators seeking unsecured business loans

and asset finance to support refurbishment,

upgrade and improvement projects which,

in some cases, have been put off due to

external pressures and a perceived lack of

access to finance of this nature.

These types of projects made up 40% of

lending within the sector in H1 2024.

Additionally, in a survey of lenders,

when asked about the key challenges they

face when underwriting a transaction,

18% said regulation and 22% said client

income/turnover.

When asked about their bank’s

opinion of the UK economy over the

next 12 months, 65% of lenders said they

expect to see growth.

Richard Lunn, managing director for

care at Christie & Co, said of the report:

“We’re seeing a renewed appetite from both

buyers and investors in the market, which

has resulted in a strong level of transactional

activity across the whole of our team, with

a big emphasis on trying to conclude deals

ahead of the Budget in late October.

Our average deal time from acceptance

H1

2022

H2

2022

H1

2023

H2

2023

H1

2024

INSTRUCTIONS BY CARE HOME SIZE

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Instructions* Project Oak <20 beds 40-59 beds

20-39 beds >60 beds

Instruction volumes in the first half of 2024 were comparable to the same period in

2023 and 39% ahead of the second half of 2023.

2022 was a standout year for instruction volumes at Christie & Co due, for the most

part, to Project Oak which led to instruction levels in the first six months some

86% ahead of the same period in 2021. This substantially increased the number of

opportunities in the market as we emerged from the pandemic.

Excluding Project Oak, a clear pattern is emerging with instruction levels. On

average, they were 30% lower in the second half of 2022 and 2023 when

compared with the first six months.

*Excluding Project Oak

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS - COMPLETIONS BY CARE HOME SIZE

A REVIEW OF THE UK ELDERLY CARE GOING CONCERN MARKET

CHRISTIE & CO COMPLETIONS BY CARE HOME SIZE

2022 2023 H1 2024

COMPLETIONS AS % OF ASKING PRICE

100%

25%

10%

41% 34%

24% 27%

95%

2019

98%

2020

14%

25% 26%

<20 beds 20-39 beds 40-59 beds

>60 beds

97%

2021

101%

2022

104%

2023

2020

The profile of care homes coming to the market in 2024 is broadly similar to 2023.

We have seen a slight reduction in the number of smaller care homes coming to the

market in 2024, comprising 12% of the total, compared with 16% in 2023. At the

other end of the scale, 15% of our instructions were for care homes with a capacity

of over 60.

The proportion of care homes coming to the market with a capacity of between 20

and 59 remains consistent at a little over 70% of the total.

32%

11%

94%

2024

31%

Richard Lunn

2021

2022

2023

H1 2024

The profile of completions across our network has

remained fairly consistent over the past three years.

There was a slight increase in the proportion of larger

care home completions in the first half of 2024, with

sales of assets over 40 beds comprising 58% of the total,

compared with 52% in 2023 and 49% in 2022.

Following an increase in the number of care home sales

with under 20 beds in 2023, we have seen this drop back

to 11% of the total, broadly similar to 2022.

Following two years of completion values being ahead

of asking price, our deals in the first half of 2024 were

concluded at an average of 94% of the guide price.

These deals concluded will have been brokered with

significantly higher interest rates than in prior years and

this is likely to have impacted offer levels.

of an offer to completion of the transaction

has materially increased from five and a half

months to nearly eight months; the reasons

for this are numerous, including greater

diligence, insurance cover challenges, and

regulatory registration implications.

“Clearly, changes in the Budget, such as

important tax regimes including IHT and

CGT, could materially impact both deal

times and the seller’s desire to transact.” n



Unlocking private investment

in the NHS estate

The British Property Federation calls on the Government to work with the real estate industry to investigate

avenues for private capital to deliver long-term solutions for the health estate

Building healthy futures:

Strengthening our healthcare estates

September 2024

The British Property Federation

(BPF) is calling on the Government

to review the current NHS funding

system so private capital can be used to address

maintenance backlog, upgrade existing estates,

and invest in new buildings.

According to the BPF report, Building

Healthy Futures: Strengthening our

Healthcare Estates, the private sector has

readily-available resource and expertise

to improve the NHS estate, helping

the Government deliver on its growth

ambitions, while simultaneously addressing

funding challenges.

BPF chief executive, Melanie Leech, said:

“NHS estates are a critical part of ensuring

Britain has an efficient and effective

healthcare system.

“By delivering much-needed new

facilities, upgrading existing buildings, and

tackling maintenance issues, communities

can receive better and more-accessible care,

ultimately improving health outcomes.

“The private sector has the resources

and capacity to be rapidly deployed in

the construction and maintenance of

NHS buildings, but the current system

isn’t enabling this investment to be fully

realised and, without it, NHS services will

continue to suffer.

“Reforming existing barriers to inward

investment would enable constrained

public finances to be spent elsewhere in the

NHS, including on staff and equipment,

while also helping the NHS reach its

sustainability targets.”

WORKING TOGETHER

A lack of investment in NHS buildings

means that 21% of primary care premises are

described as not fit for purpose by GPs, while

secondary care facilities have an £11.6bn

maintenance backlog.

At the same time, delivery of the New

Hospitals Programme (NHP) has been

delayed amid questions over funding.

Leech said: “NHS buildings, from local

GP surgeries to hospitals and specialist and

acute care facilities, are critical to the health

and wellbeing of communities.

“Effective primary care can reduce

pressure and the cost of secondary and

acute care by aiding illness prevention and

alleviating waiting lists.

“Private capital will reduce the burden

on public funding, allowing it to be used

elsewhere within the NHS; will ensure

properties are well maintained and

occupiable; and enable investment in the

decarbonisation of buildings.

“The Government urgently needs to work

Private capital will reduce the burden on public

funding, allowing it to be used elsewhere

within the NHS; will ensure properties are

well maintained and occupiable; and enable

investment in the decarbonisation of buildings

with the real estate industry to investigate

innovative approaches to funding to

enable private investment to upgrade NHS

buildings, improve care outcomes, and help

with staff retention.”

MIND THE GAP!

To unlock this private capital the BPF

recommends the Government works with

them to explore:

• Enabling NHS organisations to effectively

utilise their budgets and private capital

funding by reviewing spending limits and

capital allocations

• Reviewing the primary care valuations

process to ensure viable rents that deliver an

appropriate return for investors and value

for money for the NHS

• Facilitating third party partnership

between the NHS and the private sector

for the construction and modernisation of

both primary and secondary care estates

• Decentralising estate planning to

enable local decision-making, guided

by clear national objectives and

frameworks that can better respond to

local community need

Leech said: “Despite record levels of public

investment, the gap between capital need and

capital investment continues to widen.

“This has very-real effects on NHS

capacity and the ability for healthcare

professionals to deliver preventative care.” n


Finance and Property Deals

Elevation acquires care home sites

Elevation Advisors LLP has announced that

its real estate fund, Elevation Healthcare

Properties, has completed the acquisition of

land and agreed forward funding to support

the development of two care homes in

Gravesend and Pagham, with Simply Care as

developer and Simply Develop as the builder.

Once completed, the homes will be let on a

long-term lease with RPI-linked escalator with

cap and collar to Simply’s Morar Living brand, a

new operator relationship for EHP.

The first development is a 75-bed care home

in Gravesend, Kent, a large commuter town with

strong transport links into London.

The second is in Pagham, West Sussex, a

highly-sought-after coastal location.

Both homes have been designed to a high

specification to enhance the wellbeing of

residents, relatives, and staff, and will have

wetroom en-suites throughout and amenities

including a cinema, bistro, and family room.

Simply is a care home contractor, developer,

and operator, with 14 operating care

homes and a further seven developments

under construction.

Construction on both new homes has

begun and they are set to open in late 2025,

with an emphasis placed on environmental

performance in their design.

The developments will achieve an EPC ‘A’

rating, focusing on the eradication of fossil fuels

to deliver carbon reductions, with an all-electric

power supply comprising air source heat pumps

and the inclusion of PV.

It is anticipated that the homes will

achieve a BREEAM In-Use rating of

‘Excellent’ on completion.

Furthermore, the homes will each create 60-

80 jobs for the local communities.

Thomas Meany, investment manager at

Simply, said: “We are delighted to start our

relationship with Elevation and excited about

further ventures with them in the future.

“These two new developments are

great additions to the group and are being

constructed to our typical high-quality standard

which, along with the great calibre of facilities

each home provides, helps us achieve 90%-

plus occupancy across the group in a short

space of time.”

James Giles, investment director at

Elevation, added: “We are thrilled to begin our

partnership with Simply by adding two homes

MENTAL HEALTH GROUP SOLD

Sullivan Street Partners, a UK-based midmarket

buy-out specialist, has announced

the acquisition of UKAT, the UK’s leading

residential addiction treatment group.

UKAT operates more than 200 beds

across eight residential facilities in the UK,

all of which will now transfer to Sullivan

Street Partners.

Daniel Gerrard, chief executive and founder

of UKAT, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome new

ownership under Sullivan Street Partners.

“We have a positive history with the team

A 75-bed care home is proposed in Gravesend, Kent

The second development in sought-after Pagham in West Sussex

and they know the industry, our business,

and, most importantly, our desire and drive to

help as many people suffering with addiction

as possible, and they’ll undoubtedly be able

to help us achieve our mission.”

Layton Tamberlin, managing partner at

Sullivan Street, added: “We are pleased to

have completed this acquisition.

“Over the course of our involvement,

we developed a comprehensive

understanding of the business, its aims,

and have built a strong relationship with the

into the portfolio.

“The homes will be built to exceed the latest

environmental standards and serve the needs

of the local area, then will be operated by a

team committed to high-quality care and

engagement with their community.

“We are excited to support Simply and fulfil the

market need for care homes which are built for

longevity and make a positive impact on their

wider communities.”

management team.

“We have deep respect for Daniel and his

drive to provide the best-possible outcomes

for UKAT’s patients and stakeholders, and

persevering through challenging periods of

fraught ownership.

“We are confident in UKAT’s resilience and

growth prospects and we look forward to

bringing out the company’s full potential over

the years to come.”

Connell Consulting produced vendor

commercial due diligence to support the sale.



High Court ruling unlocks

sale of care homes

A High Court ruling into the

unwinding of a care home

group which was funded

through a collective investment

scheme could see investors

recovering some of their money.

The High Court ruled that

the former investors into St

Mary’s Nursing Home in

Moston, Manchester, a Qualia

Care home with 77 residents

and 85 members of staff,

could surrender their leases

which were purchased under

‘fractional ownership’ in order for

the property to be sold — and

enabling care for elderly and

vulnerable residents to continue.

Stephen Hunt of Griffins, the

appointed administrator of the

Qualia Group, and solicitors,

Gateley Legal, made an

application to the High Court

under the Financial Services

and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA)

in relation to the home, which

is being marketed by Colliers’

healthcare team.

Qualia Care Properties Ltd and

Qualia Care Developments Ltd

were funded by a Ponzi scheme

which took £57m from individual

investors between February 2016

and September 2020.

Individuals invested between

£50-70,000 on purchasing a longterm

lease on a room in a care

home and sub-let the room back

to the other Qualia companies.

In a previous case bought by the

Financial Conduct Authority last

year, the High Court ruled that the

former director of the company

Robin Forster had made false

and misleading statements,

promising investors returns of

between 8-10% of the purchase

price, which were never likely

to be achievable.

Qualia Care Properties Ltd

and Qualia Care Developments

Ltd were both liquidated in the

summer of 2022, while Qualia

Care Ltd went into administration

in October of that year.

Some of the group’s 14 care

homes have since closed.

However, nine are still in operation

providing approximately 476

care home places.

The portfolio is estimated to

have a value in excess of £20m

and could achieve greater uplift

following asset management.

This latest High Court ruling

unlocks the way for the Qualia

Care assets to be sold to new

owners and operators and

could see former investors

receive around a third of their

investment recovered through

the sales process.

Hunt said: “It is rare for an

insolvency practitioner to obtain a

happy outcome for all concerned.

“This case marks the

culmination of two years of

hard work by a number of

professionals and stakeholders

to obtain a remarkable

outcome for investors, staff, and

vulnerable residents.

“I was appointed to a lossmaking

care home group formed

by a Ponzi scheme soon after

the end of COVID and during

the energy crisis caused by

the Ukraine war.

“Qualia had no access to

funding as it had no free assets to

borrow against.

“From this unpromising start we

Camberley dental practice set to reopen

A vacant dental practice in Frimley Road

in Camberley, Surrey, is set to reopen

following the sale of the building.

Formerly under corporate ownership,

this two-surgery practice ceased trading

several years ago.

The building occupies a prominent roadside

position in the Surrey town of Camberley and,

following a confidential sales process with

Tony Walker at Christie & Co, the practice

has been sold to husband-and-wife first-time

buyers, Sreecharan Poosala and Dr Aishwarya

Gadde, who plan to refurbish the property and

Camberley Dental Practice

re-open it in 2025.

Dr Gadde said: “We are very excited

to purchase this property and beyond

have turned round the business

and implemented a novel legal

solution to unlock returns to

investors and creditors of up to

£20m. Everyone involved should

be very proud of that.”

Nick Hammond, head

of Colliers’ advisory and

restructuring team, added: “There

are so many vulnerable parties

who have been caught up in this

whole scheme, from the investors,

to the residents and the staff at

these care homes.

“This court ruling unlocks the

opportunity to safeguard the

operational homes by allowing

them to be marketed to a new

owner and operator.”

And Ali Willoughby from

Colliers’ healthcare team said:

“We received lots of interest in St

Mary’s and following the due legal

process will be able to complete

its sale next month.

“We anticipate continued

interest in the majority of the

remaining Qualia Care assets,

which will provide certainty to

both the staff and residents, as

well as the potential to recover

some of the funds for the

individual investors, many of

whom ploughed their life savings

into this scheme.”

The court hearing was led

by barristers Eleanor Temple

KC (Kings Chambers) and

FSMA specialist Ruth Bala

(4 Pump Court).

thrilled to bring a new dental practice to

the community, providing a welcoming

environment where patients of all ages can

feel comfortable, informed, and confident to

seek dental care, which will open its doors to

all patients in 2025.”

Walker added: “We’re delighted to have

completed the sale of the practice.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the new

owners to create a great practice and I have

no doubt they will make a great success of it.”

The practice was sold for an

undisclosed price.



Land sale paves way

for dementia home

Christie & Co has announced the sale

of a development site in Nettleham,

Lincolnshire, which benefits from planning

permission for a 65-bedroom care home.

Leading care home developer, Frontier

Estates, has secured the planning consent

for a specialist 65-bedroom dementia care

home development scheme (Use Class C2)

inclusive of 100% en-suite bathrooms and

accommodated over 2.5 storeys.

The site sits on a circa 1.4-acre plot in the

Lincolnshire village of Nettleham.

Following a sales process with Jordan

Rundle and Sara Hartill at Christie & Co,

it has been purchased by award-winning

care provider, Country Court, which plans to

complete construction in 2026.

Matt Croger, land director at Frontier Estates,

said: “Nettleham is an attractive village with

good transport links to Lincoln that doesn't

Digital bank, OakNorth, has provided a

£2.25m loan to a new joint venture between

Kyte Property and Grosvenor Hill to fund

a new supported living development

in Bedfordshire.

Kyte Property is a London-based property

development company specialising in creating

unique boutique living spaces across the

South East of England.

Headquartered in Finchley, north London,

the firm’s current and previous projects

include the conversion and extension of an

old warehouse to 23 apartments and 3,000 ft

of commercial space in Queen’s Park, and a

major residential scheme in Acton Park.

Formed in 2022, Grosvenor Hill is a real

currently have any care facilities.

“Through the planning process, and with

the positive feedback from local residents

and businesses, Frontier and the council both

recognised this would be a great scheme

appreciated by the community.

“Country Court is an excellent operator with

an exciting development pipeline which we

look forward to working closely with.

“Frontier is very pleased to have passed

the scheme in Nettleham onto them and

looks forward to it being a hub of the

community once built.”

Al-Karim Kachra, co chief executive at

Country Court Care, adds: “We’re pleased

to secure an excellent site and expand our

presence in Lincoln and surrounding areas

and we hope to be onsite by the end of Q1

2025, with a view to opening in late 2026.”

And Rundle, director of healthcare

estate investment and development group

specialising in social housing and facilities.

The firm is managed by Abel Leaman and

Dion Michael, who have a track record and

experience within the real estate, investment

banking, and social housing sectors.

The £2.25m loan from OakNorth will be

used to acquire a former NHS health centre

in Bedfordshire and convert it into a new

supported living scheme, consisting of 18 onebedroomed

flats.

The site is located a short walk from the high

street and will offer residents large indoor and

outdoor communal areas.

Max Kyte, chairman of Kyte Property, said:

“Following our launch 15 years ago, we’ve

Lincoln Dementia Home. Image, Edmund Williams

investment and development at Christie

& Co, said: “Nettleham presents a

superb opportunity for a new-build care

home, underpinned by strong affluence

indicators for the area.

“The site itself benefits from a highlyprominent

roadside location and will provide

the local community with a state-of-theart

care facility.

“Following several other planning approvals

this year, Frontier Estates has secured another

excellent consent in what continues to be a

challenging planning environment.

“With a significant presence in the

region already, Country Court Care will be

exceptionally placed to deliver outstanding

care for the growing need of Lincolnshire’s

elderly demographic.”

The development site was sold for an

undisclosed price.

£2.25m loan funds supported living scheme

been devoted to our simple mission – to

build homes that resonate with the dreams

of our clients, and craft environments where

memories can flourish.

“Our latest supported living scheme in

Dunstable is the perfect example of this and

we look forward to continuing our partnership

with Grosvenor Hill moving forward.”

Michael, director of Grosvenor Hill, added:

“We believe that everyone should have equal

access to safe, affordable, and comfortable

housing and our new partnership with

Kyte Property means we’re set to deliver

a greater number of truly-transformative

solutions to tackle the social housing

and care crisis.”


Awards

Standing out

from the crowd

The finalists of the 2024 National Care Awards have been announced.

Now in its 26th year, the annual

competition is organised by

Healthcare Property publisher,

Nexus Media Group.

And this year there are 26 trophies

up for grabs, with the winners due to be

announced at a ceremony in London

on 29 November.

The finalists are:

BUSINESS INITIATIVE

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY SANCTUARY CARE

• Brandon Park and Horkesley Manor

Memory Centres, Stow Healthcare Group

• Community Integrated Care & Okta

• Maplewood Court, Oakland Care

• Nexus Events, Nexus Care Services

• OSCE Nurses Initiative/Overseas

recruitment, Nellsar

• Our Approach to Dementia Care, Four

Seasons Healthcare Group

CARE HOME OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY ONTEX

• Charrington Manor,

Hamberley Care Homes

• Danecroft Residential Home, St

Andrews Care Homes

• Fitzwilliam House, Excelcare Holdings

• Hill Brow Residential Home

• Holmwood Care

• Sandown Park, Healthcare Homes

• Tudor Bank Nursing

Home, We Care Group

• Wiltshire Heights Care Home,

Porthaven Care Homes

CARE HOME GROUP (SMALL)

• Boutique Care Homes

• Danforth Care Homes

• Hengoed Care

• KRG Healthcare

• Majesticare

• Olea Care

CARE HOME GROUP (MEDIUM)

• Black Swan Care Group

• Hallmark Care Homes

• Hamberley Care Homes

• Hartford Care Group

• Oakland Care

• Stow Healthcare Group

CARE HOME GROUP (LARGE)

SPONSORED BY STAFFSCANNER

• Aria Care

• Care UK

• Healthcare Homes

• Minster Care Group

• Sanctuary Care

CARE PERSONALITY

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY CARE SHOP

To be announced on the night

To book your place at the awards, visit www.nationalcareawards.com or call 020 7104 2000


Awards

CARE ACTIVITIES

CO-ORDINATOR/

FACILITATOR OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY TLC CARE

• Julia Constandache, Fordmill Nursing

Home, Barchester Health Care

• Ben Line, St Johns Court,

Amica Care Trust

• Herve Boscher, Maplewood

Court, Oakland Care

• Kate Lockwood, Westmead Residential

Care Home, Sanctuary Care

• Raquel Rena Aristizabal, Home of

Compassion, Aria Care

• Robert Speker, Sydmar Lodge

• Sarah Savidge, Admiral Court Care

Home, Hallmark Care Homes

• Shobha Lakshminarayan, Southborough

Nursing Home, The Future Care Group

CARE HOME MANAGER

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY WE CARE GROUP

• Anca Markley, Hunters Down Care

Home — Excelcare Holdings Ltd

• Beverley Manzar, Ebury Court

Care Home — Ebury Court

Residential Home Limited

• Gigi Jacob, Highclere

Care Home, HC-One

• Jagpal Singh, Liberham Lodge — Care UK

• Jeanette Fairclough, Jasmine

Court — Amicura

• Josi George, Mundy House,

Larchwood Care

• Louise Blezzard, Loveday

Kensington — Loveday

• Sandra O’Grady, Holmwood Residential

Home — Holmwood Care Limited

CARE OPERATIONS/AREA

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY

COMPASS ASSOCIATES

• Michelle Bolton, CareTech

• Diane Smith, Eleanor

Nursing & Social Care

• Sarah Parkins, By Your Side Home Care

• Lukasz T.-Bustos, Sanctuary Care

• Lynne John, Hengoed Care

• Sue Astill, Porthaven Care Homes

THE SARA BERRIO

CARE CHAMPION AWARD

SPONSORED BY BLUELEAF

• Amanda Keeler, Walfinch

• Amy Croker, Seymour

Court Nursing Home

• John Lil, County Care

• Mark Panto, Nightingale Hammerson

• Rita Schofield, Sanctuary Care

• Sarah Jeneson,

Hampshire County Council

• Tim Williams, Hengoed Care

• Yasmin Bloor, Platinum Healthcare

CARE CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Aneil Manmohan, Nesbit House,


• Cosmin Cristea, Nellsar Princess

Christian Care Centre, Nellsar Ltd

• Daniel Street, Hartismere Place, Care UK

• Emilio Pascucci, Astbury Manor Care

Home, Avery Healthcare

• Majinda Ndoj, Cooperscroft

Care Home, TLC Care

• Sam Armstrong, Heffle Court, Aria Care

• Samantha Heal, Falkland Grange Care

Home, Porthaven Care Homes

CARE HOME

DESIGN OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY VIRGIN MONEY

• Abbots Wood Manor,


• Angmering Grange Care Home,

Hallmark Care Homes

• Ashton Manor, Evermore Care

• Brook House, Aria Care

• Brownscombe Care Res, CHD Living

• Chartwell House, Boutique Care Homes

• Hengoed Park, Hengoed Care

• Loveday Abbey Road, Loveday

TECH INNOVATION

OF THE YEAR

• CareTech Services by CareTech

• Cavendish Park by Majesticare

• Claire Fances Fuller, Cera Care App

• Cleva Card by Cleva

• Elsyng House, Oakland Care

• PredicAire by PredicAire

CARE LEADERSHIP

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY

DOMUS RECRUITMENT

• Ann Ayris, Ebury Court Care Home

• Donald Morris, Canford Healthcare

• Louise Damms, Cheviot Court, Care UK

• Marie-Claire Foale, Seymour

Court Nursing Home

• Nancy Walters, Mumbys Live in Care

• Nuno Santos Lopes, Nightingale

HammersonRuth French, Stow

Healthcare Group

• Sarah Larden, Home Instead Bromley,

Chislehurst & Orpington

The National Care Awards 2024

Categories continue on pages 26-27 *


Awards

CARE NEWCOMER

OF THE YEAR

• Amal Baby Mohan, Primrose House

Care Home, HC-One

• Elisha Moore, Blair House, Regal Care

• Ellie Wyand, Halstead Hall

Care Home, Stow Healthcare Group

• Ian McManus, Carlton

Court Care, TLC Care

• Jackie Hilton, SureCare

Central Cheshire

• Kirsty Bagan, Forefaulds Care

Home, Sanctuary Care

• Yajna Tatoo Haloo,

Cathkin House, Care UK

DEMENTIA CARE

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY ARIA

• Chelsie Walne, St George’s Park Nursing

Home, Rotherwood Healthcare

• Chris Trott, Bourne House Nursing

Home, Future Care Group

• Jayanthi Antony, Julie Richardson,

Taylor and Taylor

• Jessica Davies, Admiral Court Care


• Linda Martinez, Field Lodge, Care UK

• Zoe Poole, Bourne Wood Manor Care

Home, Porthaven Care Homes

CARE REGISTERED

NURSE OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY CARE UK

• Charlotte Cole, We Care Group

• Chris Winkley, Briardene,

Barchester Healthcare

• Daisy Delgado, Halden Heights

Care Community, Eleanor

Nursing & Social Care

• Kyleigh Hardy, Maplewood

Court, Oakland Care

• Molcy Mathew, Ty Enfys Care Home,

Hallmark Care Homes

• Sheeba Lalson, Wisteria Lodge,

Waterlooville, Wisteria Lodge Ltd

• Silpa Paul, Cooperscroft

Care Home, TLC Care

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

IN CARE

• Alison Lee, Woodlands & Hill Brow

• Bashir Jamal, Oakland Care

• Emma Hodges, Avante Care & Support

• Helena Shelton, County Care Group

• Julie Rayner, Hallmark Care Homes

• Kathleen Norris, Wisteria

Lodge Care Home

• Patricia Roche, Borough Care

• Wendy Lane, Doddington Lodge

To book your place at the awards, visit www.nationalcareawards.com or call 020 7104 2000


Awards

DEPUTY MANAGER

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY

COUNTRYSIDE HEALTHCARE

• Denise McMillan, Home of

Compassion, Aria Care

• Jodie Farr, Carpathia Grange, Care UK

• Louise Kivel, Fernlea, Olea Care Group

• Patrick McMahon, Wentwood

Court, Iris Care Group,

Ocean Community

• Sarah Monk, Stowlangtoft Hall Nursing

Home, Stow Healthcare Group

• Sheli Knapper, Astbury Mere Care Home,


CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY IMPACT FUTURES

• Bridge House Care Home, Bridge House

(Oxfordshire) Ltd

• Clarendon Nursing Home, Bondcare

• Hill House Nursing Home,

Woodlands & Hill Brow

• Laurel Home (Beechwood College),

Iris Care Group

• Mumby’s Live-in Care

• Sandown Park, Healthcare Homes

• Signature at Coombe Hill, Signature

Senior Lifestyle

• Wiltshire Heights Care Home,


THE DIGNITY & RESPECT CARE

HOME OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY HC ONE

• Admiral Court Care Home,

Hallmark Care Homes

• Brampton Manor, Boutique Care Homes

• Broadlands, Greensleeves Care

• Ebury Court Care Home

• Landermeads Nursing

Home, Landermeads

• Loveday Kensington, Loveday

• Melford Court Care Home, Stow

Healthcare Group

• Primrose House Care Home, HC-One

BEST DINING EXPERIENCE

SPONSORED BY AUTUMNA

• Encore Care Homes — Great Oaks

• Gold Care Homes — Heath Lodge

• Gold Care Homes — Burrows House

• Pearl Healthcare Group —

Capricorn Cottage

• Sohal Healthcare — The Haven

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

• Care Control Systems

• Care Home Life

• CarePlanner

• Cera Care

• Fulcrum Care

• Ontex

• PLMR Group

• Quality Compliance Systems

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY PORTHAVEN

• Ebury Court Care Home

• Healthcare Homes Academy,

Healthcare Homes

• Infection Prevention & Control

Team, Birmingham Community

Healthcare NHS Trust

• Landermeads

• Sanctuary Care

• Stow Healthcare Group

• Tricuro

• Walfinch Halesowen and Redditch, Spice

of Life (South West Midlands)

CARE HOUSEKEEPER

OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY P&G PROFESSIONAL

• Derek Tilley, Ashridge Court Care

Centre, Canford Healthcare

• Jodi Holland, Arlington Manor Care


• Louise Alexander, Thirlestaine Park,


• Marina Holder, Stowlangtoft Hall

Nursing Home, Stow Healthcare Group

• Marzena Chmielewska, Mill

House, Aria Care

• Melissa Harvey Pemberton,

Highmarket House, Care UK

• Shaun May, Cambridge Manor

Care Home, TLC Care


Building Design

Why we need to rethink

our approach to healthcare

design and delivery

Velindre Cancer Centre. All images, White Arkitekter

Michael Woodford, director of White Arkitekter, speaks to

Jo Makosinski about why good hospital design is fundamental

to the recovery and long-term success of our NHS estates

The recent collapse of ISG is devastating

for the staff who worked there;

and serves as a wake-up call for the

construction industry and the public sector

which relies on it to deliver vital infrastructure.

In January 2018, Carillion suffered a

similar fate, leading to the loss of over 3,000

jobs and causing a major crisis across public

sector projects that included hospitals,

schools, and prisons.

The ripple effect from the failure of these

construction giants exposes the industry’s

dependence on large firms and highlights

the vulnerability of the extensive network

of subcontractors and consultancies.

Against this backdrop, the new Labour

government is currently undertaking a

‘terms of reference’ review of the ambitious

£20bn New Hospital Programme (NHP),

to replace or refurbish 40 hospitals across

the NHS estate.

The review aims to put the programme

on a ‘deliverable footing’.

At the same time, the Darzi Report

has laid bare the challenges faced by the

NHS, including a staggering £11.6bn in

backlog maintenance and a pressing need to

decarbonise healthcare estates.

Industry is reacting to Hospital 2.0, a

template hospital system, which aims to

standardise hospital design with repeatable

rooms and a focus on dFMA, MMC,

and offsite fabrication to increase speed

and reduce cost.

The question is: does the UK

have the capacity to overcome these

monumental challenges? Or should

we look at alternative models to ensure

these critical infrastructures are delivered

and built to last?

CAPACITY TO DELIVER

The ISG collapse underscores the potential

over reliance on key players who, when they

fall, take entire networks down with them.

This raises concerns about whether the

construction industry has the capacity to

deliver the NHP as currently envisioned.

While there are firms who might be

willing to step in should businesses fail,

a shift toward smaller, more-diversified

project delivery could mitigate risks and

prevent repeating past mistakes.


Building Design

HEALTH HUBS

One solution is to rethink the scale of some

healthcare projects, with the NHP shifting

towards smaller, community-based health

hubs located in our struggling high streets.

These facilities could bring healthcare

closer to people’s homes, reducing the

strain on large hospitals and offering earlier

interventions in a community setting.

Health hubs could also play a crucial

role in revitalising underused urban spaces,

breathing life into failing high streets while

delivering essential care.

As the Darzi Report states: “Performance

standards are focused on hospitals, not

on primary care, community services,

or mental health.

However, while smaller health hubs may

provide a solution for routine care and

preventative services, they cannot entirely

replace the need for large hospital facilities.

The increasing complexity of healthcare,

particularly in areas such as cancer care and

paediatrics, necessitates specialised facilities

that smaller hubs simply cannot provide.

Such is the case for Cambridge Children’s

Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, two

large hospitals dedicated to specialised care

for entire regions.

A FRESH APPROACH

At White Arkitekter we are fortunate to be

involved in recent healthcare projects that

are pushing boundaries and innovation,

with the aim of seeking new solutions

to provide the UK with public health

infrastructure that lasts.

Cambridge Children’s Hospital

offers a glimpse into the future of

integrated healthcare.

Bringing together two NHS trusts —

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS

Foundation Trust and Cambridgeshire

and Peterborough NHS Foundation

Trust — and the University of Cambridge,

this project combines physical and

mental health under one roof, alongside

University of Cambridge research to treat

the whole child.

The emphasis on both types of care,

combined with state-of-the-art research,

offers a new level of innovation as well as

showcasing the benefits of collaboration

across sectors to provide healthcare that is

fit for the future.

LEARNING FROM FAILURES

Another approach to delivery is looking at

alternative financing models.

Given the mixed legacy of PFI, there is

understandable scepticism about returning

to public-private financing models.

Nevertheless, public-private partnerships

can play a valuable role in delivering

healthcare infrastructure.

The Velindre Cancer Centre in

Cardiff provides an example of how this

can be employed.

In this case, the Welsh Government

adopted the Mutual Investment Model, a

public-private partnership (PPP), allowing

the project to be jointly financed.

PFI may have left many NHS trusts

burdened with debt and facilities difficult

to maintain, yet, as the Velindre Cancer

Centre shows, when structured properly,

and with careful management, PPPs can

still provide viable financing solutions.

The key is in ensuring that these projects

are designed with sustainability, flexibility,

and long-term resilience in mind.

NET ZERO

The NHS has made significant progress in

addressing sustainability, particularly through

its net-zero standard, but decarbonising the

estate remains a monumental task.

With £11.6bn in backlog maintenance,

retrofitting existing hospitals will play a

critical role in meeting these targets.

And transformation of existing building

stock has to be carefully considered.

Successful projects, such as the Bromma

Hospital in Stockholm, demonstrate how

the transformation of existing buildings

can deliver high-quality healthcare

environments, sustainable design, and

stimulate the circular economy.

The integration of low-carbon and lowenergy

design strategies, from the earliest

stages of design, combined with the use of

technology to track energy performance,

will be essential to decarbonising

the NHS estate.

As the UK embarks on the next stage

of the £20bn New Hospital Programme,

the evidence is clear: the healthcare

system needs to be decentralised. It

must adopt a more-flexible, diversified

approach to project delivery that embraces

collaboration, creativity, and innovation,

and not rely on the monopolisation of large

construction firms to deliver vital public

infrastructure. n


Building Design

Members of Dr Winton’s research group design table-top gardens

People with dementia can be

powerful design collaborators

Heriot-Watt University research calls for greater involvement

of people living with dementia in building design

People living with dementia should

have more power and creative freedom

in collaborative design projects, new

research from Heriot-Watt University suggests.

This includes using their own ideas

and actions to shape, lead, and deliver

projects, rather than always having

projects given to them.

Dr Euan Winton, a design expert at the

University’s School of Textiles and Design

in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, has

proposed a new framework that outlines

this way of working.

It follows six years of working with

members of an Alzheimer Scotland

Dementia Resource Centre who designed

projects and services including printed

textiles, ceramics, tabletop gardens, lighting,

travel postcards, sculptural signage for

a community allotment, and a photo

scanning service.

Collaborative design — shortened to

co-design — helps communities and groups

contribute to design projects with guidance

from professional designers.

And it is a growing field in settings

including health, community development,

innovation, public sector, and charities.

But there are huge variations in the extent

to which participants are involved in these

projects, Dr Winton argues.

His research paper, The co-design

participatory power pyramid, formally

defines these different levels of involvement

and illustrates them as a pyramid with four

layers — ‘to’, ‘for’, ‘with’, and ‘by’, with ‘to’ at

the base of the pyramid and ‘by’ at the top.

PLAYING A ROLE

“Good collaborative design is about helping

people play a significant role in rethinking

things that inform or shape their lives,” he said.

“And really that should mean you’ve

collaborated on more than 50%

of the project.

“Your thoughts, your actions, your ideas,

and the content you generate is important

and you should have quite a bit of agency in

making changes.

“We see a lot of co-design projects being

done to, for, or with participants. But the

most-empowering model is co-design ‘by’

— when designs for products or services

are generated entirely by people living

with dementia.

“It’s about reinforcing the idea that

people need to be recognised for what they

can do, recognised for having rights, and

that they should be listened to.”

MEETING NEEDS

Dr Winton’s maternal and paternal

grandmothers both had dementia.

Co-author, Paul Rodgers, Professor of

Design, Manufacturing and Engineering

Management at the University of

Strathclyde, also had dementia.

Dr Winton started his research as part of

a PhD focused on design for dementia and

over six years has worked on collaborative

design projects with around 20 members of

the Glasgow Dementia Resource Centre,

which supports people with dementia and

is run by Alzheimer Scotland, Scotland’s

national dementia charity.

The participants were aged between 40-70

and diagnosed with early-onset dementia,

when symptoms develop before the age of 65.

The research included walking tours

and visits to museums and art galleries

with people living with dementia to get

ideas for designs.


Building Design

We see a lot of

co-design projects

being done to, for, or

with participants. But

the most-empowering

model is co-design

‘by’ — when designs

for products or

services are generated

entirely by people

living with dementia

Members of Dr Winton’s research group design a new dementia garden

for Kirrie Connections, a dementia-friendly community centre in Kirriemuir

“One of the very first conversations I had

was with a man who said he used to quite

like photography, but no one would give

him a camera these days,” Dr Winton said.

“I replied — that’s the first thing I’m

going to do when we go out walking.

You’re all going to have cameras — and

will be collecting the images and things

that inspire you.”

The inclusive approach, which also

involved working with a dementia group

in Edinburgh, generated 15 design projects

which are outlined in the research paper.

And some of the products created were

sold in a pop-up shop in Glasgow and the

projects overall promoted ‘self-belief ’, ‘free

thinking’, and a ‘stronger sense of capability,

belonging, and independence’.

The products and services that were

co-designed by people living with

dementia include:

• Printed textiles inspired by murals in

Glasgow of comedian Billy Connolly.

These were turned into products including

cushions, bags, and lampshades

• Ceramic plates with face designs

inspired by a ‘floating head’ exhibit

at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and

Museum in Glasgow

• Tabletop gardens inspired by outdoor

walks that the participants designed and

created themselves

• A decorative light inspired by Charles

Rennie Mackintosh, made with

coloured lighting gels

• A concrete sign for Bellahouston Park

Allotments in Glasgow that was designed

The team designs a new dementia garden

by the participants and then crafted by a

stone specialist

• A photo scanning service to help other

people living with dementia revive

memories from old photographs

Dr Winton said the participants all took

enthusiastic ownership of their projects

and ‘regularly expressed elation’ with

their abilities and a ‘sense of disbelief ’ at

what they had achieved. They also learned

about design practices and took projects in

their own direction.

The research paper concludes that people

living with dementia should be involved as

much as possible in as many stages of the

design process as possible.

These stages include background

research; developing the product design

brief based on customer needs; generating

ideas and concepts; developing technical

drawings and prototypes and then detailed

design, incorporating exploration of

One of four textile designs inspired by murals

in Glasgow of comedian Billy Connolly

materials and manufacturing techniques.

Dr Winton said the co-design

participatory power pyramid could be

applied to collaborative design projects

in any sector.

And he is bidding for funding to further

develop his research and presented his

paper in June in Boston in the US to the

Design Research Society, a learned society

committed to promoting and developing

design research. n


Building Design

Making a mark

As Hythe and Dibden War Memorial Hospital celebrates its first anniversary, we look back

at how the building has revolutionised the delivery of health and wellbeing services


Hospital has marked its first

anniversary, having reopened to

patients last year following a £10m rebuild.

Bringing together previously-dispersed

services including specialist dentistry,

X-ray, physiotherapy, audiology, MSK,

community maternity, and GP services;

the building has enabled more than 52,000

appointments since its completion.

And at a recent ceremony patients and

NHS staff spoke about the impact the new

facility has had on care delivery.

Dr Nicky Sheppard, who works at

the centre, said: “It has revolutionised

my working day.

“I was able to visit two palliative patients

in one afternoon and spend time with them

and their families, explaining what happens

now and offering them support.

“I can’t remember the last time I

had the time available to do that in the

manner I can now.”

A patient at the centre added: “I was

dealt with by a very friendly and efficient

receptionist who gave me an appointment

at Hythe Hospital.

“A practitioner saw me before

my appointment and I picked up a

prescription from the pharmacy. What an

excellent service.”

The redevelopment was designed to

provide the local community with a place

that provides efficient, flexible, modern

accommodation which houses existing

services, as well as opening up new

opportunities, increasing integration and

co-ordination of care, and reducing pressure

on nearby hospitals, both now and in the

years to come.

The project involved collaboration across

a number of organisations, including NHS

Property Services (NHSPS), Hampshire

and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board,

Kier, GBP consultants, and the NHS

providers who use the building, including

the local Primary Care Network, Southern

Health NHS Foundation Trust, and

University Hospitals Southampton NHS

Foundation Trust.

THE CHALLENGE

Various local commissioning and estate

strategies highlighted the need to redevelop


Hospital, finding:

• The site needed major repairs and upgrades

to continue offering quality patient care,

particularly since the inpatient beds

closure in April 2010

• The outpatient facility was not suitable to

deliver modern standards of care

• Void space was costing the CCG

£186,000 per year and there was no

demand for this space

• Lack of strategic oversight and service

integration was not meeting the needs of

the local population

The project was identified as a priority due

to the escalating healthcare needs of the

80,000-plus population within the Totton

and Waterside area, coupled with the

outdated and non-compliant state of the

existing facilities.


Building Design

As well as improving site quality, there

was also a significant opportunity for

streamlining operations and achieving

cost efficiencies.

Sustainability was a key decisionmaking

factor throughout the design and

construction phase, aligning with the NHS

goal of achieving net zero carbon by 2040.

As such, the project received a BREEAM

‘Excellent’ rating.

THE SOLUTION

NHSPS and West Hampshire Clinical

Commissioning Group (WHCCG)

pro-actively looked for a solution,

intensifying efforts to deliver a modern,

fit-for-purpose, health and wellbeing centre

for the community.

NHSPS’s portfolio optimisation team

developed and assessed a range of options

for the project, scoping out requirements

and supporting the then Clinical

Commissioning Group (CCG) through

public consultation.

The decision was then taken to pursue a

new-build option, rather than consolidating

services into either of the existing buildings.

In the interim, the old hospital building

was decommissioned, with all services run

through the medical centre.

NHSPS’s town planning team supported

the application, with planning consent

granted in 2018. It then helped the CCG

further develop its Outline Business Case to

secure the funding, which was approved by

NHS England in 2019.

Delays to project development and

approvals caused construction costs to

increase — for example, the impact of

Brexit on the availability of materials and

then the COVID-19 pandemic changing

how contractors worked on site.

The £1m shortfall was bridged by

NHSPS’s capital recycling scheme, with

funds generated from the sale of surplus

land onsite reinvested in the project.

NHSPS also worked with the CCG to

secure additional Estates, Technology and

Transformation funding (ETTF) to support

the primary care expanded offering at the

new hospital, which added an additional

capital injection into the project.

NHSPS and WHCCG secured Full

Business Case approval in June 2020.

The project progressed in two phases:

1. Pre-construction: Including site setup,

ground surveys, the demolition of the

old building and site preparation took

around six months

2. Construction: The new build took around

19 months, slightly longer than planned

due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic

NHSPS used the Southern Construction

Framework (SCF) to ensure a local Tier 1

contractor undertook the works.

Ensuring each contactor possesses a

regional office within Hampshire was a

strategic decision by NHSPS to guarantee

the chosen provider had a vested interest

and commitment to the success of the

project. A series of panel interviews were

then held to assess the contractors’ proposals

and capabilities, with Kier Construction

selected to carry out the works.

The NHSPS construction lead held

regular monthly meetings with the CCG

and customer representatives to keep

them up to date on activities, with key

decisions undertaken via the steering board.

Additionally, site visits were arranged for

the CCG and end users to observe progress.

Particular challenges with the build

included a significant slope and a well that

both needed to be filled; the discovery

of unknown services that needed to be

moved, including underground electrical

and gas supplies; and consultants

and sub contractors which went into

administration.

The COVID-19 pandemic also posed a

significant challenge for the project due to

restrictions on how many sub contractors

could work on site at any one time, as well

as adjustments to working practices to

comply with Government regulations.

This included expanding the size of site

offices and welfare facilities — incurring

an additional cost to the budget of

approximately £200,000.

THE OUTCOME

In the first month of opening the hospital had

7,500 on-the-day appointments booked.

And the new hospital provides patients

with direct access to more services,

closer to home.

Additionally, provisions were made for

mobile diagnostic services on the site, such

as breast screening and MRI.

Designed to be inviting, inclusive, and

built to the highest quality, the building

creates a positive, welcoming experience for

patients, visitors, and staff.

The hospital operates on a significantlyreduced

footprint, making it more efficient.

And this enabled the release of surplus

land for responsible disposal, which was

sold to New Forest District Council for

housing, and the proceeds were reinvested

into the new build.

Through optimising space and employing

flexible room booking and a seven-day

schedule, the new facility can accommodate

existing services while creating room

for an expanded range of health and

wellbeing services. n


Building Design

Cavell Community Health and Wellbeing Hub. Image, Pillar Visuals

Designing for the individual,

not the illness

Bob Wills, director of Medical Architecture, explores the idea of

designing health services with less reliance on acute hospitals and

more focus on integrated community facilities offering a more-holistic,

preventative view of health and wellbeing

Published earlier in the year, a report

by The King’s Fund offers a fresh

perspective on a challenge that

the national health service has faced

for many years.

Titled Making care closer to home a

reality, the report states that: “Since at

least 1974, and arguably earlier, successive

governments have aimed to make the

health and care system less hospital

focused and more focused on primary and

community care.”

It cites the World Health Organization

(WHO) in its view that this approach is the

most-inclusive, effective, and efficient way

to enhance people’s physical and mental

health and wellbeing.

This is about ‘improving both the

experience and the quality of care that

people receive, while boosting prevention

or, at the very least, reducing the speed of

onset of disease. It is also about meeting

people’s needs and making sure each part

of the health and care system is freed up to

In terms of our approach to healthcare facility

design, this is an important shift in thinking, and

one that we have seen embraced in pioneering

community health schemes in recent years

provide the care it is best placed to offer’.

Many of us will recognise this as a proactive,

preventative approach to health,

as opposed to a reactive, treatment-based

approach, with care delivered closer to

people’s homes.

SHIFTING THE FOCUS

Despite this long-held ambition, the report

highlights a mismatch in action, with the

proportion of Department of Health and

Social Care spending on primary care falling

in recent years from 8.9% in 2015-16 to

8.1% in 2021-22.

Similarly, while the NHS has received

additional funding in recent years, acute

hospital trusts have seen 27% funding

growth since 2016-17, compared to

community trusts, which have experienced

just half that level of growth, at 14%.

The King’s Fund report goes on to suggest

reasons for the lack of change, before setting

out a solution for refocusing of the health

and care system, which is detailed and

far reaching, covering policy, leadership,

funding, and workforce.

A critical element to this is cultural

change: “The increasing complexity of

people’s health and care needs requires an

integrated, holistic response, rather than a

‘body part’ or single condition response.


Building Design

“There needs to be more of a focus

on people and outcomes, rather than

processes and outputs”.

In terms of our approach to healthcare

facility design, this is an important shift

in thinking, and one that we have seen

embraced in pioneering community health

schemes in recent years.

PERSON-CENTRED CARE

One example where this approach has proven

to be successful is The Jean Bishop Integrated

Care Centre (JBICC) in Hull.

Prior to the project commencing,

Hull and North Yorkshire ICB faced

numerous challenges.

Hull had around 25,000 residents living

with frailty, and 3,200 with severe frailty.

As a result, the health system was

overwhelmed with non-elective hospital

admissions, struggling to find beds for

elderly patients amid peak admissions

and growing demands from the

aging population.

A 2012 study found that a third of

older patients admitted to hospital in an

emergency had no clinical need to be in a

hospital bed, and that admission quickly

reduced the ability for vital rehabilitation

and reablement.

In response, and informed by engagement

with residents, Humber and North

Yorkshire ICS developed an anticipatory

care model that completely redesigned

the approach to create an out-of-hospital

service to help people to stay at home and

out of hospital.

We were commissioned to work with

the stakeholders to develop the first

facility which could deliver the care

model effectively.

Adopting an entirely-new way of

delivering health services, the centre brings

together a range of specialist services to

provide a more-holistic approach to health,

care, and social support.

Unlike regular community health

facilities, where patients receive assessment

and treatment for a single health complaint

or condition, at the JBICC patients receive

a full physical and mental health check, as

well as help with other social challenges.

They may spend an entire day there, but

they leave treated and with a care plan.

The type of facilities offered reflect

this extended visit and include a café run

by Inspire Hull, a charity which aims to

improve physical and mental wellbeing

through the development of friendships

and feelings of purpose. Activities are

curated which bring people together to

tackle feelings of social isolation.

The therapeutic and non-institutional

character of the design, with views to

gardens and landscape from many areas

of the building, create a comfortable

environment to support patients during

these extended visits.

RELIEVING THE STRAIN

A recent study, led by researchers from the

Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre at

the University of Hull, assessed the wellbeing

of patients who received this more-holistic,

person-focused assessment at the centre

compared to those who did not.

It showed, for those living in their own

home, a 15-20% reduction in emergency

department (ED) attendances and a 10-

25% reduction in emergency admissions

for the 12 months after their assessment

compared to the 12 months prior.

Also, for residents in care homes, there

has been a 20-25% reduction in ED attends,

and for the frail cohort who had more than

five ED attends in the 12 months preceding

Image, Medical Architecture

their assessment, there is consistently

over-50% reduction in ED attends and

admissions in the following 12 months.

Clearly then, long-term investment in the

right kind of community-focused facilities

can reduce demand for acute services and

bring about savings to the wider healthcare

system, as well as improving the wellbeing

of individuals.


Building Design

Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre. Image, Jill Tate

SUSTAINABLE EVOLUTION

The King’s Fund points to a need to invest in

primary and community healthcare estates to

promote joined-up, integrated working locally

between public partners across health, social

care, and community services.

However, despite a number of recent

initiatives to bring forward innovation in the

delivery of community health, investment

remains weighted towards capital investment

in acute services, with the New Hospital

Programme a prominent example.

The Cavell Centre programme, named

after Edith Cavell, a British nurse during

World War I, is one such initiative that

looks to the future.

The programme began after Medical

Architecture, with John Cooper Architects,

proposed the development of a blueprint

for the transformation of primary and

community care facilities in England.

Developed with NHS England and NHS

Improvement (NHSE/I), the aim was

to optimise and standardise the briefing,

planning, and design process to allow the

business case process to be streamlined,

increasing quality and reducing design costs

at each project stage.

The proposed ‘Cavell Centres’ that

emerged pioneered an approach to

standardised-yet-adaptable planning, with

a specific approach to MMC, net-zero

carbon design, and high-quality patient

environments for health and wellbeing.

Following on from this work, we were

commissioned alongside Passivhaus design

specialist, Architype, to co-design one

of six pilot schemes for the programme,

and the only one to be designed to

Passivhaus standards.

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

Like The Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre,

the strategic vision for the Cavell Centres

recognises that social factors in health are as

significant as clinical factors, and therefore

We are hopeful that initiatives such as the Cavell

Centre programme will be able to demonstrate

the benefit of a long-term investment in a

preventative approach to healthcare in relieving

pressure on an already-overstretched system

combines both models to pro-actively

address the barriers to improved community

health and wellbeing.

This formed a central feature of the

pilot scheme design.

Setting a new standard for community

health facilities, the building hosts a varied

health and wellbeing offering, including

multiple GP practices, community

diagnostics, therapy services, outpatient

services, third-sector social prescribing

organisations, and a health-centred

commercial offer.

The building is designed to be highly

flexible to allow this mix of services and

tenants to adapt over time.

Strong internal connections to quality

external landscaping with lawns, planting,

and water features; and inviting, noninstitutional

internal spaces; enable a variety

of wellbeing activities. This, combined

with access to local authority support,

links patients with opportunities for social

prescribing, integrating health and wellness

into the community.

COMPETING PRIORITIES

Currently, NHSE has paused the

development of the project business cases to

focus on developing the programme business

case ahead of a bid for capital funding for the

programme at upcoming spending reviews.

We are hopeful that initiatives such as

the Cavell Centre programme will be able

to demonstrate the benefit of a long-term

investment in a preventative approach

to healthcare in relieving pressure on an

already-overstretched system.

In its report, The King’s Fund describes

‘hierarchies of care’ — urgent problems

taking priority over longer-term issues

— as a reason for underinvestment in

community healthcare. For example,

treatments for urgent medical problems

taking priority over services that prevent

the development of problems.

It recommends that leaders need to

be clear about why a change in focus is

needed ‘which is to deliver improved care

and improved outcomes, and to ensure the

health and care system is sustainable for the

future, rather than to deliver cost savings in

the short term’.

Clearly, the challenges the health service

faces are complex and multifaceted, and no

quick solution exists. However, successful

pioneering projects like The Jean Bishop

Integrated Care Centre demonstrate the

value of a person-focused, preventative

approach, which the Cavell Centre

programme is well placed to continue, if

funded as a priority. n

• This article was first published in Architect’s Datafile

magazine in May 2024.


Estates and Facilities Management

FM contract renewed at

Forth Valley Hospital

Serco has retained its contract to provide

soft facility management (FM) services that

support the delivery of care for patients

at Forth Valley Royal Hospital for the

next seven years.

The contract follows a comprehensive

market test exercise conducted in partnership

with Forth Health and NHS Forth Valley.

Serco has been responsible for providing

both soft and hard FM services at Forth Valley

Royal Hospital since 2010.

The latest award will see the company

continue to provide soft FM services,

including cleaning, catering, and portering

services at the hospital for a further seven

years, while the provision of hard services,

including building maintenance, will continue

through to 2042.

Petra Moss, managing director of Serco’s

health business, said: “We are delighted to

have been given the opportunity to continue

to support patient care with the provision of

soft services at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

“We have provided these services, along

with hard services, since 2010 and are

extremely proud of our team which performs

a challenging and difficult role with great

professionalism.

“We believe that our approach and values

Estates takeover at Cumbria trust

NTW Solutions has taken over

the operation of estates services

across Cumbria from Cumbria,

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS

Foundation Trust (CNTW).

While the estates team has been part

of CNTW for some time, this latest move

will further enhance the management and

maintenance of key healthcare facilities such

as the Carleton Clinic near Carlisle.

Improvements include the introduction

of an online proactive and reactive

maintenance system.

An NTW Solutions spokesman said: “The

response from clinical teams has been

fantastic and they have already seen an

improvement in the condition of the site.

“One unexpected consequence has been

that more maintenance requests were

coming in as staff see an improvement in the

responsiveness.

“It is a positive step forward and hopefully

the start of a virtuous cycle of improvement

of the estate.”

make a real impact and bring about positive

change for patients, supporting their recovery

when they need it the most.”

Forth Valley Royal Hospital is the only acute

hospital facility serving the local community

across Forth Valley.

And Serco’s primary purpose is to provide a

clean, safe, and well-maintained environment

for patients, visitors, and staff.

The company has a team of 750 people who

deliver a 24/7 service, 365 days a year.

In addition the team also provides full

patient catering to NHS Forth Valley’s four

community hospitals.

He added: “We now have a strong focus

on improving the quality and efficiency of

estates operations across Cumbria. This

includes maintaining hospital buildings,

ensuring compliance with safety standards,

and creating a better environment for both

patients and staff.

“The transition will bring about morestreamlined

processes, better resource

management, and ultimately achieve our aim

of supporting better care. “

NTW Solutions is a subsidiary of CNTW

and was established in 2017. It now provides

a wide range of support services, including

estates management to partners in the

NHS and beyond.


Estates and Facilities Management

Estates takeover at Cumbria trust

In response to the increased demand

for oxygen supplies following the 2020

COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent

rise in respiratory-related conditions,

Jacksons Fencing recently completed a key

project to safeguard vital oxygen storage

facilities at a leading UK hospital.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the

critical role of oxygen in treating patients,

leading to a surge in its use across hospitals.

Some facilities even declared major

incidents due to oxygen shortages, prompting

a significant government investment of over

£15m to upgrade oxygen supplies and prevent

future disruption.

As part of these improvements, many larger

hospitals now feature onsite liquid oxygen

storage facilities, where vast industrial tankers

convert liquid oxygen to gas as needed.

But, given the stringent safety requirements

associated with liquid oxygen – due to

its extremely-low temperatures, precise

pressure needs, and related fire and explosion

risks – securing and managing these

supplies is paramount.

To address these needs, Jacksons Fencing

provided and installed a comprehensive

security solution for a new oxygen

storage compound.

ROBUST SOLUTIONS

The installation includes 38m of Securi-Mesh

fencing, standing at a height of 2.4m.

This is mounted on concrete hardstanding

and is complemented by two cantilever sliding

gates and a single-leaf pedestrian gate with a

pushpad exit and key entry.

Securi-Mesh fencing features a tightlywoven

mesh pattern designed to deter

climbing attempts, and its small apertures

significantly improve resistance to cutting.

Additionally, the mesh provides an ‘invisible

screen’ effect that allows for effective

surveillance without obstructing views,

facilitating quick issue identification.

SPACE EFFICIENCY

The cantilever sliding gates installed are

particularly well suited for the restricted space

in front of the facility.

Unlike traditional swing gates, these slide

parallel to the fenceline, requiring minimal

space both in front of, and behind, the fence.

This design not only maximises space

efficiency, but also enhances security, with

quick operational cycles, allowing for faster

vehicle and goods transit, reducing the

time the gates remain open and minimising

security risks.

Furthermore, the absence of ground tracks

for the cantilever gates reduces maintenance

needs by preventing issues related to debris

or track damage, leading to fewer repairs and

reduced downtime.

In addition to these features, the fencing

and gates are backed by a 25-year

guarantee, ensuring long-term durability and

minimal maintenance.

And the green polyester powder coating

provides extra corrosion resistance and

contributes to lower long-term costs

for the hospital.

Guidance helps manage infection risk

The World Health Organization

(WHO) has published a new

operational guide for managing

infectious diarrhoea in

healthcare settings.

The guide is intended for

hospital administrators, water

sanitation and hygiene specialists,

food safety and nutrition service

managers, infection prevention

and control professionals,

occupational health managers,

and health and care workers.

It is structured into three

parts: water, sanitisation and

hygiene (WASH) and waste

management; food safety

management; and infection

prevention and control.

Detailed procedures are set out

as each of these areas requires

dedicated planning, staffing,

training, and resources to mitigate

the entry points, transmission

risks, and reservoirs of infection

that can cause infectious

diarrhoea in healthcare settings.

The key messages of the

guidance are to:

• Evaluate and improve water,

sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

infrastructure and waste

management systems

• Implement food safety

management measures for

safe handling, preparation, and

serving of food

• Screen all patients — inpatient

and outpatient — for diarrhoea

LESS DISRUPTION

Sections of the fencing, installed at varying

heights, are further secured with a Barbican

vertical bar fan panel, which offers both

a physical barrier to intrusion and a

visual deterrent.

Peter Jackson, managing director of

Jacksons Fencing, said: “The pandemic

highlighted the crucial role of oxygen and we

must safeguard these resources effectively.

“The integration of our Securi-Mesh

fencing and cantilever sliding gates reflects

our commitment to providing both superior

protection and operational efficiency.

“By addressing the specific security needs

of these vital resources, we help ensure that

hospitals can focus on delivering high-quality

patient care without disruption.”

symptoms upon initial

contact in any healthcare

setting and use contact

precautions when infectious

diarrhoea is suspected

In addition to the detailed

sections on these key messages,

the operational guide also has

sections on health and care

training — monitoring and

exposure management, and

healthcare-associated infection

(HCAI) surveillance.


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Inside issue 03, May-June 2024

• Milestone for £85m maternity hospital

development in Belfast

• Spotlight on best practice for dementiainclusive

design

• Framework agreements provide support for

next-generation healthcare buildings

Inside issue 04, July-August 2024

• Advocating a simpler approach to

the healthcare planning process

• The implications of a new accountancy

treatment on NHS leases

• Designing mental health

facilities closer to home

Inside issue 05, September-October 2024

• Contractor appointed to build £15m

community health centre

• Keyworker housing model supports

recruitment and retention of staff

• Investors and property developers remain

interested in health and care sector

HEALTHCARE-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental

Empowering care companies

for a sustainable greener future

Helping care companies with the growing need to be sustainable by improving efficiency in the supply

chain has been a mission for Kerry Southern-Reason, chief executive of the Care Home Interiors Group.

Here, she speaks about how her latest company, Care Home Rental Furniture, is doing just that

Waste is a huge problem; we only

have to turn the news on to see

the devasting sights of waves

of plastic washing up on beaches right

around the world.

However, closer to home, our obsession

with the throw-away culture is contributing

to tonnes and tonnes of unnecessary

waste entering landfill. From waste food,

packaging, clothing — you name it.

Shocking statistics reveal that an average

of 22 million pieces of furniture are

discarded per year in the UK, much of

which goes straight to landfill.

And annual statistics produced by the

Wood Recyclers’ Association show that the

amount of waste wood processed in the UK

rose from 4.17 million tonnes in 2021 to

4.31 million tonnes in 2022.

In the care home sector, we have to try

and do our bit and adopt more-sustainable

and environmentally-friendly supply chain

practices to stop this.

A VICIOUS CIRCLE

Care homes face a pressing need to offer their

services in top-notch facilities.

But worn-out fabrics, chipped and

scratched furniture, and overall dated

interiors will not cut it in this increasinglycompetitive

market.

Even worse, once a care home has got to

this dishevelled level, a dip in occupancy

tends to follow, and once that happens it

becomes very hard to secure the necessary

funding to invest in its refurbishment.

In fact, many care providers are

discovering that funders require moresustainable

fit-out strategies for a chance

of securing funding. Between a rock and

hard place sustainable practices become a

pipe dream for most as they balance limited

resources with offering the best service in

the conditions they have.

…once a care home has got to this dishevelled

level, a dip in occupancy tends to follow, and once

that happens it becomes very hard to secure the

necessary funding to invest in its refurbishment


Environmental

Between a rock and

hard place sustainable

practices become a

pipe dream for most as

they balance limited

resources with offering

the best service in the

conditions they have

New care home constructions have the

luxury of prioritising eco-friendly designs

and materials.

Incorporating efficient floorplans,

optimising insulation, and sustainable

energy features such as solar panels and

motion sensor LED lighting, can lower

energy consumption and costs.

Additionally, sustainable building

practices can enhance the overall wellbeing

of residents by creating healthier living

environments with improved air quality

and natural light.

TIMELESS DESIGNS

Whether starting from a blank canvas or

retrofitting, we have focused on being more

supportive of sustainability goals.

Mindful of the cost pressures operators

face, we have developed a service that can

reduce direct costs while enabling greater

efficiency of resources via a renting model.

Our rental system from Care Home

Rental Furniture not only allows care

homes to upgrade without the high costs

associated with refurbishment, but also

helps reduce their environmental footprint.

With this model, care homes benefit

from timeless designs that never date, and

our furniture is manufactured in the UK

and FSC certified, so also benefits from

a waste-avoidance approach through our

‘repair and reuse’ approach.

With its 30-year lifecycle, the furniture

is tough and robust, more so than general

domestic furniture, and is offered with a

five-year refurbishment service where a

technician will remove and repair scratches,

chips, dints, and any other defects.

The additional bonus of leasing is it

doesn’t affect EBITDAR (earnings before

interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation,

and restructuring or rent costs) due to new

accounting reporting of leases.

The furniture is refurbished in our UK

solar-powered workrooms, stripped back to

its bare bones, resprayed, and offered back

into the market for use.

This approach not only provides modern

and fit-for-purpose furniture, but also

embodies the very essence of re-using

and recycling.

And it dismisses the concept of singleuse

furniture and represents good value for

money above anything else.

EMBRACING GOOD PRACTICE

Environmentally-friendly supply chain

management can be achieved in many

ways. But this method ensures products

are sourced from suppliers that meet a

strict eco criteria, reducing energy use and

minimising waste.

By embracing these practices, care homes

can make significant steps in reducing their

environmental impact while improving

the quality of the environment they

provide care in.

Implementing a greener purchasing

strategy, optimising supply chains, and

adopting a holistic approach to caring for

the environment are essential steps toward

a more-financially-sustainable future for

the care sector.

Mindful of the cost

pressures operators

face, we have

developed a service

that can reduce direct

costs while enabling

greater efficiency

of resources via

a renting model

For those who live in care homes,

don’t they deserve to live in a home that’s

well furnished?

This model ensures a comfortable

space that is consistently updated to meet

modern standards, contributing to a better

quality of life. n


Environmental

Hospital among first to use

green energy system

University Hospital of Hartlepool

will harvest energy from the

ground and sun to power the site

A

hospital in Teesside will become one

of the first in the country to use greenfriendly

technology to heat the site.

The University Hospital of Hartlepool

will use a combination of renewable energy

from the ground and from the sun to

provide heating and electricity.

Work has begun to drill deep boreholes

into the ground for a new ground-source

heat pump system, which collects energy

from water stored in an aquifer.

And solar panels will also be installed

on the building’s roof and to the back

of the site to provide electricity for large

periods of the year.

When the works are completed by

contractor, Veolia, over the next year,

the hospital is anticipated to meet its

NHS 80% carbon reduction target

ahead of schedule.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS

Foundation Trust has been granted more

than £13m funding to help carry out

the improvements.

A MAJOR INVESTMENT

Steve Taylor, group director of estates for

the trust, said: “These works will make the

University Hospital of Hartlepool one of the

first in the country to use an aquifer-based

ground-source heat pump system.

“This involves a mix of the latest

renewable technology and local geology

to help heat the building for many

months of the year.

“Solar panels are also going to be

included to give green electricity to the

building and reduce the need to import

electricity from the Grid.

“These improvements will mean we are

making huge reductions to our carbon

footprint, while providing the best care

for our patients and protecting our

environment for our local community.”

The new scheme will combine a 1,400kW

ground-source heat pump system, with a

70,000l thermal store.

The works will also include upgrading the

hospital’s air handling units and installing

new LED lighting.

To make a real difference and limit the damaging

effects of climate change needs innovation, and

this latest hospital upgrade shows what we can do

for the vital healthcare sector …

MEETING TARGETS

John Abraham, chief operating officer for

industrial, water, and energy at Veolia, said:

“We have been delivering energy management

to University Hospital of Hartlepool for over

20 years, and this new project will further

extend efficiency and the carbon savings.

“To make a real difference and limit

the damaging effects of climate change

needs innovation, and this latest hospital

upgrade shows what we can do for the vital

healthcare sector as part of our Green Up

strategic programme.

“This will help the NHS meet the

net zero target and we look forward

to working in partnership with the

teams at Hartlepool and achieving their

environmental goals.”

The funding was approved last year by

Salix, an organisation which administers

funds on behalf of the Department for

Energy Security and Net Zero. n


Environmental

Data centre upgrade

completed in nine weeks

Relocation and replacement of cooling

infrastructure on mission-critical live data

centre at the Royal Free Hospital

Secure I.T. Environments Ltd

(SITE) has completed an air

conditioning upgrade project

on the main mission-critical data

centre at the Royal Free Hospital,

part of the Royal Free London

NHS Foundation Trust.

The project, which was

completed in nine weeks, was

commissioned to replace endof-life

cooling infrastructure and

improve the energy efficiency of

the data centre.

Originally built in 2010

by Secure I.T. Environments,

the data centre serves the

Royal Free Hospital’s patients

receiving acute and specialist

services, including hundreds of

transplant patients.

As part of the project the

existing cooling infrastructure

was removed and replaced with

four GEA 18D Multi-DENCO

down flow close control direct

expansion air handling systems

and four DENCO ambient aircooled

condensers.

The new installation

now achieves PUE values

of 1.15 or less.

This solution also achieves

a sensible heat ratio (SHR) of

1.0, meaning that air is cooled

without dehumidifying it.

This combined optimised

use of the inverter compressor,

electronic expansion valve

(EEV), and fans as part of the

climate control system, reduces

energy costs, improves energy

efficiency, and extends the life of

the humidifier cylinder.

CHANGING NEEDS

The changing cooling

requirements of the data centre

meant the relocation of the

external condensing units needed

to be housed in a completelydifferent

location. This required

considerable effort to ensure

compliance with building and

planning regulations, including

acoustic surveys and aesthetic

considerations.

The condensers are now

located outside on a balcony

away from existing services,

requiring the installation

and weatherproofing of new

pipework and ensuring it

would be accessible and safe for

ongoing maintenance.

Commenting on the project,

Chris Wellfair, projects director

at Secure I.T. Environments,

said: “At all times we had to

HOSPITALS SHARE HEAT NETWORK FUNDING

Two health trusts are among 33 schemes to benefit from a

£2.7m moneypot aimed at optimising heat networks across

England and Wales.

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust and Hywel Dda University

Health Board in Wales will share in the cash, awarded to heat

networks in the sixth round of funding allocated under the

Government’s Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES).

The revenue funding will support studies to identify issues with

efficiency levels at Croydon University Hospital and Bronglais

Hospital respectively.

Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, said: “Heat

consider that this was a fullyoperational

hospital, with a tight

project window.

“We installed temporary

cooling to ensure concurrent

maintainability of existing

services at all times, as well as

carefully managing all logistics

through multi-departmental

planning at the trust across

properties, estates, and IT.”

SITE will now embark on a

project to implement cold aisle

containment in the same data

centre and provide UPS and AC

upgrades at another.

Secure I.T. Environments also

provides ongoing maintenance

support for five rooms

at the trust. n

network customers should be able to expect a good-quality service —

delivering regular, reliable heating and hot water.

“Today’s £2.7m funding boost will transform 33 old and inefficient

heat networks across the country.

“This is part of our wider efforts through the Heat Network Efficiency

Scheme — with more projects set to benefit in the near future.”

Louise Singleton, principal consultant at Gemserv, added: “It is great

to see HNES continuing to provide vital funding to old, inefficient heat

networks across England and Wales.

“It is particularly encouraging to see applicants being proactive once

receiving the output of their HNES-funded optimisation studies.”


Environmental

Major crackdown on NHS waste

New strategy will radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service

The Government is launching a major

crackdown on waste in the NHS to

save millions of pounds a year, helping

to divert more resources to frontline care.

The Design for Life roadmap is being

published to radically cut the number

of single-use medical devices in the

health service and reduce the reliance on

foreign imports.

Disposable medical devices substantially

contribute to the 156,000 tonnes of clinical

waste that the NHS produces every year in

England alone.

And the roadmap paves the way to

slashing this waste and maximising reuse,

remanufacture, and recycling in the NHS.

Doing so will create thousands more UK

jobs and help transform the country into a

life sciences superpower.

As it stands, millions of devices, such as

walking aids and surgical instruments, are

thrown away after just one use.

Harmonic shears — surgical devices

which seal patients’ wounds using

ultrasound waves — each cost more than

£500 and around 90% of them are binned

after a single use.

But innovative companies are already

purchasing these used devices and safely

remanufacturing them at a lower price.

The Government will now encourage

more of this kind of innovation to safely

remanufacture a wider range of products

and drive costs down, including by

changing procurement rules to incentivise

reusable products and rolling out examples

where hospitals are already leading the way

on cutting wasteful spending and practices.

A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Approximately £10bn a year is spent on

medical technology like this in the NHS,

but too much of it is imported via vulnerable

routes that risk disrupting patient care.

A Circular Economy Taskforce has

already been created to foster more

highly-skilled green jobs and smarter use of

our resources.

An economy-wide shift to a circular

economy could add £75bn to the economy

and create 500,000 jobs by 2030.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes

Streeting, said: “The NHS is broken. It is

the mission of this government to get it

back on its feet, and we can’t afford a single

penny going to waste.

“Because the NHS deals in the billions,

too often it doesn’t think about the

millions. That has to change.

“This government inherited a £22bn

black hole in the public finances, so we

will have a laser-like focus on getting better

value for taxpayers’ money.

“Every year, millions of expensive medical

devices are chucked in the bin after being

used just once. We are going to work closely

with our medical technology industry to

eliminate waste and support homegrown

MedTech and equipment.”


Environmental

At Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, a single ophthalmology department saved

1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and £12,000 in a year by switching to reusable pairs

MAKING SAVINGS

The below case studies illustrate the

potential savings:

• Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust uses

330,000 single-use tourniquets in a year,

but a single reusable tourniquet can be

used 10,000 times. In a one-year trial,

reusable alternatives saved £20,000 in

procurement costs and 0.75 metric tonnes

of plastic waste

• At Northampton General Hospital NHS

Trust, a single ophthalmology department

saved 1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and

£12,000 in a year by switching to reusable

pairs. Single-use scissors are often used in

surgical settings and NHS procurement

data shows that several million pairs of

single-use scissors were purchased by the

NHS in a single year (2022 to 2023). That

is the equivalent of hundreds of pairs of

scissors thrown away every hour

• The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

saved £76,610 in costs purchasing 604

remanufactured electrophysiology (EP)

catheters, and generated a further £22,923

for selling used devices for collection.

If the same approach were to be scaled

up across the UK, the NHS could save

millions of pounds per year on EP catheters

alone, just a few product lines among

hundreds of thousands

• Harmonic shears are complex devices

for performing surgical procedures and

cost more than £500 each, yet around

90% are binned after a single use. The

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

has demonstrated that companies can

safely remanufacture them, giving up to

50% cost savings

The Design for Life programme will reduce

this kind of waste and achieve an NHS-wide

move to sustainable alternatives — also

supporting the Government’s net zero goals.

NEW THINKING

The new roadmap sets out 30 actions

to achieve this shift, including how the

Government will work with companies to

encourage the production of more-sustainable

products, along with training for NHS staff

on how to use them.

Taking this approach will mean more

money can be spent in the UK, driving

growth and creating more engineering,

life sciences, and research jobs, all while

securing savings for the NHS budget.

Many of these products include precious

metals such as platinum and titanium,

which are in high demand but go to landfill

when they could be recovered and sold.

A reduction in the amount of disposed

single-use devices will also reduce

the country’s carbon footprint and

plastic pollution.

The Government will encourage industry

figures to innovate by making sure benefits

of reusable MedTech are part of how the

NHS chooses the products it buys.

Health Minister, Baroness Gillian

Merron, recently visited University


Environmental

College London Hospital, a member of the

Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance,

which advocates for sustainable practices

within the NHS.

DESIGN FOR LIFE

She said: “Design for Life doesn’t just deliver

on the Health Mission, to build an NHS fit

for the future, it also delivers on our Growth

Mission to make the UK a life science

superpower and our commitment to get the

NHS to net zero by 2045.”

During her visit she toured a mock

operating theatre and was shown various

sustainable products its NHS staff use

— from simple products like gowns and

scissors to sophisticated, expensive products

like harmonic shears.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national

medical director of NHS England, said:

“While the NHS is treating record numbers

of patients, we know there is much more to

do to ensure taxpayers get value for money.

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust saved £20,000 in procurement costs and 0.75

metric tonnes of plastic waste in a year by switching to reusable tourniquets

“The NHS made a record £7.25bn

worth of efficiency savings last year and

is targeting a further £9bn of savings for

2024/2025. But we are rightly still looking

for ways to get our money’s worth for every

penny we spend.”

The Design for Life programme was

developed with more than 80 stakeholders

from the UK MedTech industry, the health

and care system, and research organisations.

It forms part of the Government’s

ambition to transform the UK into

a life sciences superpower and ensure

sustainability. n

Soft plastics transformed

into sustainable seating

Soft plastics donated by Tesco have been

recycled into decking and accessible picnic

tables for the grounds of John Scott Health

Centre in north London.

Tesco, Veolia, Groundwork, and NHS

Property Services (NHSPS) have joined forces

to recycle soft plastics into outdoor furniture for

upcoming social prescribing green spaces.

Since 2019, NHSPS has delivered 100

hubs and gardens across the country

with the aim of promoting community

wellbeing and connectivity through naturecentric

environments.

And over six tonnes of soft plastics – or

155,500 individual items – were donated by

Tesco and transformed into a sustainable

100%-recycled plastic lumber, known

as Smartawood.

This lumber was accredited by BBA with

a life expectancy of 120 years, requires little

maintenance, and is designed not to rot or rust.

Overall, this process resulted in

approximately 15.5kg of CO2 savings.

John Scott Health Centre was the first

purpose-built medical centre in Britain and

was once home to an active gardening group

which lost its space to a pop-up vaccination

centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now NHSPS has reinstated the garden area,

making it a welcoming and usable area with

decking and accessible picnic tables.

Further projects are planned at Maghull

Health Centre, Merseyside; Goscote Hospice,

Walsall; Shaw House, St Austell; and Whitby

Community Hospital.

Dr Min Rodriguez, head of social impact at

NHSPS, said: “This collaboration highlights

the potential of innovative partnerships to not

only create vibrant spaces for public benefit,

but also to drive positive change in healthcare

and environmental sustainability. And it’s

particularly special that we are repurposing soft

plastics instead of increasing waste.”

Tony McElroy, Tesco head of campaigns,

added: “It’s fantastic to see the soft plastic that

our customers are returning being turned into

something new that will benefit communities

and help give young people a stronger

start in life.

“It’s still our absolute priority to remove and

reduce as much plastic as possible and make

sure everything we use is recycled and kept

out of the environment.”

And Adam Wylie, managing director of

commercial at Veolia, said: “Utilising recycled

materials in green spaces and collaborating

across private and public bodies to deliver

these social prescribing gardens is a testament

to how we can, and must, all work together to

deliver ecological transformation.”


People

Assura appoints chief

investment officer

Specialist healthcare

property investor and

developer, Assura,

has appointed Steven

Noble to the newlycreated

role of chief

investment officer

(CIO) to support

the business’ short

and long-term

growth strategy.

Noble joins the

business immediately

and will be responsible for implementing

Assura’s investment strategy across all

healthcare markets, including delivery of

capital recycling initiatives.

He was most recently chief investment

officer at Atrato Group, the investment

adviser to Atrato Onsite Energy (ROOF) and

New leadership for

Cotswold care provider

Aura Care Living has appointed

two new senior figures to its

award-winning group.

The care and retirement

specialist, which has sites in

Cirencester, Gloucestershire,

and Camberley in Surrey, has

brought in Richard Scarth as its

new chief operations officer, and

Colleen Joubert as the care home

general manager.

They will both operate

from Cirencester’s

Stratton Court Retirement

Village and Care Home.

Scarth has over 20 years

experience within the health and

social care sector and previously

held senior positions with

Sunrise Senior Living, Barchester

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR), where

he negotiated and executed over £2bn of

property transactions and played an important

role in taking SUPR from IPO to the FTSE250.

Prior roles include nine years at Lloyds in

origination and risk management with a focus

on commercial real estate, and KPMG where

he qualified as a chartered accountant.

Jonathan Murphy, Assura chief executive,

said: “Steven’s appointment is an important

strategic step for Assura to support our

ambitious growth plans.

“The UK healthcare crisis continues

to worsen, with an immense need for

improved access to healthcare services

across the country.

“These factors are driving demand for

infrastructure across an increasingly-diverse

range of healthcare markets, to which

Assura is best placed to respond owning to

Healthcare, and Care UK.

Between 2015-2022 he broadened his

experience by working in the NHS at director

and chief executive level, during which time

he was instrumental in developing schemes

to support the patient journey from acute care

into residential and nursing care.

Most recently, he left the NHS for an

operational role within a fire and rescue

service and currently splits his time between

life on shift and time spent driving the

provision of the highest-possible standard of

care at Stratton Court.

He said of his new position: “My greatest

passion is making a difference to people living

with, and families affected by, memory loss

and dementia.”

Joubert qualified as a nurse 28 years ago

before going on to become a community

nurse, midwife, and psychiatric nurse.

She said: “My passion is palliative care;

I truly believe that everyone deserves a

dignified death.

“I’ve been a turnaround home manager for 17

years, assisting providers to receive good and

outstanding outcomes for their homes.

“I enjoy the challenges of finding

solutions for problems and ensuring all

staff are empowered to deliver the highest

quality of care.”

our market position, sector expertise and

capabilities, and our strong corporate culture.

“Steven’s skills and expertise will

complement those already within the

executive committee to deliver against this

demand and our long-term growth strategy."

Noble adds: “I am delighted to be joining

Assura at such an exciting time, with the

business strategically positioned to capture

the significant growth opportunities across

broader healthcare markets.

“The business’ recent acquisition of 14

private hospitals and its JV with USS are a

clear indication of the group’s ambition and

I am incredibly excited to be part of Assura's

next stage of growth.

“I look forward to working as part of an

exceptionally-skilled and experienced

team at the UK’s leading listed healthcare

property investor.”

WALES GETS NEW

HEALTH MINISTER

The Welsh Government

has seen its third cabinet

reshuffle this year, including

a new Cabinet Secretary for

Health and Social Care.

Mark Drakeford, former First

Minister, has now left his role

as interim health secretary,

with Jeremy Miles being

instated as health minister.

Miles, a Labour Co-op

politician, moves from the

role of Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and

Welsh Language.

He also ran in the Welsh Labour Leadership election

at the end of last year, but was ultimately defeated by

short-lived First Minister, Vaughan Gething.

Now Vaughan’s successor as First Minister, Eluned

Morgan, has appointed Miles to the health secretary job.

Drakeford, meanwhile, becomes finance minister — a

role he held before becoming First Minister in 2018.

Commenting on his new role, Miles said via X

(formerly Twitter): “I am delighted to take up the

health and social care portfolio working… as part of

Eluned’s team.”

On her Cabinet reshuffle, Morgan adds: “The

changes I am announcing today offer stability, draw on

experience, and bring our collective talents together.

“The new portfolios reflect modern Wales and are

designed to address the key challenges that face us all.”


People

KNIGHT FRANK EXPANDS

HEALTH TEAM

Knight Frank’s healthcare team

has recruited four new members.

William Freston, Sara Lightfoot,

Ella Davenport, and Elisa Linu have

all recently joined the 23-strong

specialist team.

Freston and Davenport will

focus on corporate healthcare

and fund valuations, Lightfoot on

commercial healthcare and bank

lending valuations, and Linu joins

the development consultancy

team to specialise in care

home development.

LEASE DIRECTOR JOINS

PROPERTY SPECIALIST

Medical Premises

Consultants (MPC)

has announced

the appointment

of Georgina Silk

as director of

lease consultancy.

A highly-skilled and

qualified surveyor,

Silk brings extensive

experience in the

healthcare real estate

industry, further

strengthening MPC’s commitment to delivering

expert property consultancy services to the

primary care sector.

With over six years of experience at Aitchison Raffety,

she has developed a strong reputation for working

effectively with both landlords and GPs, particularly in

the areas of lease consultancy and valuation.

And her expertise aligns seamlessly with MPC’s

mission to provide innovative, sustainable solutions

for healthcare premises while supporting the ongoing

evolution of the UK healthcare landscape.

Rob Hearle, managing director at MPC, said:

“Georgina’s proven track record and deep

understanding of the healthcare property sector make

her an invaluable addition to our team.

“As MPC continues to grow, her expertise will play a

crucial role in expanding our lease consultancy services

and supporting our clients’ needs.”

Silk’s appointment comes at a time of strategic growth

for MPC as the firm continues to expand its national

reach and strengthen its multi-disciplinary approach to

healthcare property consultancy.

“I am excited to join MPC at such a pivotal time in the

company’s growth,” said Silk.

“I look forward to contributing to the continued

success of MPC and working closely with our clients

to deliver tailored, innovative solutions that meet the

evolving demands of the healthcare sector.”

Christie & Co grows

Scottish dental team

Specialist healthcare property adviser, Christie & Co,

has appointed Kevin Strain as a senior business agent in

its dental team in Scotland.

Strain is a qualified member of the Royal Institution of

Chartered Surveyors (RICS), with extensive knowledge

of the Scottish commercial property market and over four

years experience in real estate agency working for a large

corporate consultancy.

His new role as a senior business agent at Christie &

Co will see him handle key dental sales across the length

and breadth of Scotland alongside the company’s head of

dental, Joel Mannix.

He joins at what is a busy time for the dental market, with significant activity across

the region, particularly from the independent market.

Mannix said: “Kevin’s extensive expertise will be crucial as we continue to provide

an unparalleled service to our clients and his appointment reinforces our growing

business in Scotland’s dental sector.”

Browne Jacobson

makes key hire

Browne Jacobson is now providing HR

services to health and social care clients after

making a key hire.

Laura Chinyere-Ezeh has joined the UK and Ireland

law firm as HR consultant in health and social care to

lead the new offering for residential care homes, nursing

homes, domiciliary care providers, and hospices.

With more than a decade of experience as an HR

generalist, Chinyere-Ezeh brings expertise in CQCregulated

environments.

Prior to joining Browne Jacobson, she was an HR

business partner at Ramsay Healthcare and was

part of senior leadership teams for three neurological

rehabilitation centres’ clinical support functions for

acute care and central corporate teams.

She has also held several HR management positions, including with a domiciliary

care provider for local authorities.

Based at the firm’s Birmingham office, she works with clients nationally.

She said: “It is a brilliant time to be joining Browne Jacobson as the firm continues

to grow its clients, teams, and services, proving that the expertise in law firms goes

far beyond legal advice into various other practical and strategic matters.

“The health and social care sector is experiencing a lot of change right now, with

retention and recruitment among its greatest challenges.

“By thinking outside the box, employers can showcase the rewarding nature of

working in this sector and ensure they have a sustainable supply of talent to meet

future demands.”

Working closely with the firm’s employment law specialists, Chinyere-Ezeh’s team

will provide advice on matters such as workforce planning, dealing with complex

grievances and disciplinaries, managing allegations against staff, team restructures,

organisational development, TUPE transfers and indemnities on outsourcing, and

exit agreements. It will also support clients with HR audits to ensure compliance

with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), bespoke and off-the shelf-training for all

levels of staff, and developing HR policies.


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Healthcare Property Issue 06 November-December 2024

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