The government has said that it will improve the professionalization of the NHS estates and facilities workforce in a direct response to the Naylor Report published last year. The report, published last year, examined how the NHS can make the best use of its estate to support NHS England’s Five Year Forward View, whilst highlighting the opportunities available to support sustainability and transformation plans and optimising the use of NHS land and buildings.

We’re hosting the Healthcare Estates Development Forum on the 24th April where we’ll be hearing from NHS Organisations on the challenges they’re faced with across their estates, properties and facilities management, with attendees able to network with the NHS organisations and showcase how best practice could save them resources and more.

The government ‘concur with the reviews primary consultation that the NHS must manage and use its estate more efficiently and strategically’ as it agreed with most of the recommendations laid out in the review. The government has said it would build capability and capacity in strategic estates planning and management across the system by creating an NHS Property Board to guarantee that the NHS estate is developed and used to best effect to support modern patient care. To support the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships and build capabilities, invest in training, develop estates, facilities workforce and create new roles and career paths a new strategic estates planning service will be developed. It would provide the NHS with additional specialist support and guidance on strategic investment in the estate and improve the collection and use of data on the NHS estate to enable Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to make decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare estate in the region.

Aligned with their wider sustainability and transformation agenda the government pledges to invest in estates transformation, providing £3.9bn of additional investment by 2023, including £2.6bn to support Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships in addition to the £400m already invested earlier this year. It will also put forward £700m to tackle critical maintenance issues and support turnaround plans in struggling NHS trusts and put £200m into support efficiency programmes to ‘allow more time and money to be directed to patient care’.

Join us at the Healthcare Development Plans Conference to join in the discussion and debate – and unlock opportunities with NHS organisations.