Press release: Huge new investment in services and buildings for London's health: new report shows first comprehensive picture

27 Nov 2003

A comprehensive picture is revealed for the first time today of plans for a huge investment in new health infrastructure and services in London.  The report Grand Designs: the new London NHS published by the London NHS Confederation shows the unique challenges faced by London but also the scale of the new spending on services and bricks and mortar.  Over £5 billion is set to be invested in more than 150 projects to make health service facilities better for Londoners. 
The report reveals the challenges for the NHS in updating its buildings and getting services in place for the anticipated population increase in the Mayor's London Plan. 
Grand designs for London include:

• over sixty new primary care centres
• seven new Walk-In Centres
• five new Treatment Centres
• over 10 new hospitals and redevelopments (Whipps Cross; Paddington Health Campus; The Royal London; Evelina Children's Hospital  at Guys; UCLH Euston Road; North Middlesex Hospital; new Romford Hospital; Edgware Community Hospital; Kingsbury Community Hospital; a new Royal National Orthopaedic hospital at Stanmore and new hospitals are planned at Epsom & St Helier NHS Trust).
  

Grand Designs also outlines a number of recommendations necessary for the programme of spending to deliver for Londoners.  Specific recommendations include:

• involving the NHS as a key partner at the start of regeneration projects 
• greater support for local planning permission for certain services like mental health and drug & alcohol treatment
• a common surplus land disposal policy between government departments - the high cost of land in London and the South East is a major block
• making NHS legal and financial frameworks more flexible so organisations can spend their money on essential work and are not caught in technicalities around capital to revenue transfers
• investing in design - which can reduce operating costs, improve patients' health and help regenerate neighbourhoods.
  

Professor Elaine Murphy, chairman of North East London Strategic Health Authority and NHS Confederation regional lead for London, said: "Contrary to some perceptions of a service in decline, there is a mixture of old buildings being rejuvenated and many new services coming on-line. New big hospitals may hit the headlines but smaller local investments like a new GP practice or an extra operating theatre can make a huge difference.  When you look at all these developments together they add up to grand designs."
She added: "This report shows that progress is already underway.  We need to maximise the opportunities and tackle the barriers to ensure that the NHS meets the challenges ahead."
Rachel Maybank, London Relations Manager, NHS Confederation and author of the report said: "This huge investment going into bricks and mortar comes at a time when there is a culture of criticising administrative and management costs in the NHS.  It shows quite the opposite that there is the need for high-quality management to lead such multi-million pound projects and ensure that the NHS is accountable for all the public money it is spending."

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. A pre-publication copy of the report can be downloaded here. Contact names, numbers and pictures for the case study examples are available.  More copies of the report and information can be obtained from Rachel Maybank, London Relations Manager, the NHS Confederation 020 7959 7254 or 07979 770853.
2. "Sustaining the future of health and health services in London" 1 December one-day conference, will take place at Church House in London.  For more information contact Rachel Maybank, London Relations Manager, on 020 7959 7254 or 07979 770853 or click here for more information.
3. The London NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the London NHS. Our members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities. For more information, click here.
4. To ensure that new hospitals and primary care facilities are fit for the future, the NHS Confederation has bought together the trusts and PCTs with big private-public partnerships.  The Future Healthcare Network has 12 members in London region.
   

Contact details

1. Contact Media Relations Manager Joanna Clason on 020 7074 3306 or 07798 571078 or Senior Media Officer Amy Darlington on 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
   

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