In the first morning session of the HefmA 2016 Strategic Estates and Facilities Leadership Forum, Peter Sellars, Head of Profession NHS Estates & Policy England, UK Department of Health, and Forum Chair Roy Lilley debated the use of space within the NHS and whether pushing for the NHS to dispose of unused land is the right course of action.
Peter Sellars highlighted the challenge set by the Government for the public sector to release enough land to build 26,000 new homes by 2020. The NHS, he said, is being asked to provide 80% of that space, which in itself is going to be a “big ask.”
The Carter report has highlighted that there is too much underused space within the NHS estate and that space costs money. However, Roy Lilley described that underused space as a bit like a Swiss cheese – lots of little pockets of holes rather than one single block that can be packaged up and sold off.
He further questioned whether this is not a short-sighted policy, saying we are playing at “Mystic Meg” with what are essentially national assets. Once they are sold, the NHS will never be able to get them back. As the needs of patients change the NHS may be unable to put in the services required because it will no longer have the space available to do so. “We are trying to take a punt on the future and we may lose,” he said.
Sellars emphasised that the NHS needs to take every opportunity to use its space more strategically. He said it is essential to change the culture of the system and put in place measures to understand that space costs money. “We are trying to set up a supportive network using HefmA and IHEEM to drive the grass roots.”
Kevin Downs, Director of Finance for Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will present during tomorrow’s programme (Friday, May 20) about the Service Line Reporting project in Derby, which has strategically allocated department costs based on the use of space and the weighting of areas to their use.
