Delivering the Neighbourhood Health Services: Estates
Key points
The current NHS estate is inflexible, outdated and poorly suited to supporting the delivery of the neighbourhood health service. To realise the ambition in the government’s 10-Year Health Plan to move care closer to home, we will need a wide range of health services under one roof that are based within communities they serve.
As well as maximising use of the current NHS estate by, for instance, making better use of void space and marrying up estate planning and service commissioning, we will need to see fresh approaches taken both by the government and locally.
We will need to see planning processes reformed, for instance, to make it easier for the NHS to access funding which could help with estate development. In addition, a streamlined approvals process for capital projects is needed, as is the devolving of more decision-making to system level to enable more effective estate development and utilisation.
Ministers will need to learn lessons from previous private investment models when using public-private partnerships, and there are numerous examples from around the world that can be used to inform the approach in England.
Locally, non-NHS settings can be better used to support the delivery of care. Community and voluntary sector spaces, local authority buildings and private and commercial spaces such as pharmacies, high-street retail units and shopping centres can all expand capacity and improve access.
The role of the VCSE sector is crucial in the planning and design of estate transformation. The NHS should tap into the sector’s deep roots in local communities, its flexibility and its ability to build trusted relationships. These factors make the VCSE sector essential partners in designing and delivering care that reflects local priorities and the lived experiences of those they serve in accessible and suitable locations.
