Case study: The transformation of a city’s primary care estate

The city’s health and well being estate was crying out for an overhaul and significant investment to not only improve the patient experience but also encourage a young, dynamic workforce to the city:

• Over 75% of practices were out dated;
• Local people were visiting GPs in small, often inaccessible buildings that were not fit for purpose;
• The interlinking of services such as pharmacies and community services were few and far between;
• Working environments for newly qualified health professionals were sub-standard.

The NHS sought a strategic estates partner they could trust to provide strategic estates planning, investment, construction delivery and estate management. Following a thorough procurement process, the team was appointed to deliver the estate transformation.

Solutions:

A strategic estates partnership was formed with a shared vision to deliver a step change in the healthcare estate. Appointed to deliver £100m worth of estate investment, the team worked hand in hand with the NHS and the local authority to dispose of inefficient properties, co-locate practices and services and create community hubs strategically placed within the heart of neighbourhoods. The Shared Agenda team managed the full technical team for the design and development of each development from conception through to delivery, which included: architects, cost consultants, financiers, lawyers, construction specialists, FM advisors and engineers. All schemes were delivered on time, safely and to budget.

Results:

In ten years the partnership has:

• Relocated 36 GP practices into 12 modern, purpose built facilities;
• Put £234m back into the local economy through a ‘look local first’ attitude to procurement
• Vastly improved service access for local people,
• Encouraged collaboration across the public sector;
• Improved working environments for health professionals;
• Played an integral part in the city’s regeneration;

The facilities currently serve c.70% of the city’s residents and house over 100 different health and community services. Leading the field nationally in performance, the team has managed the FM contractors without any significant penalties throughout the 10 years since the first building was opened at Marfleet Lane, Hull. Since the development of the FM regime, the team has ensured its ongoing delivery to ‘day one’ quality standards.