The government has been insufficiently hard-line about mandating BIM on publicly funded construction projects, the Proptech Session heard at our Healthcare Estates Development Forum. Jason Whittall, Director of One Creative Environments, said that failure to use BIM was treated less seriously than not following the BREEAM eco building standard.

Whittall said the mandate had also been watered down as a result of the widespread use of partnership structures in centrally funded schemes, whilst also raising concerns over the NHS’ vulnerability to cyber-attacks due to growing reliance on technological solutions.

NHS organisations are also reluctant to adopt innovative technological solutions, according to Whittall, but ‘someone has to take the plunge and be a guinea pig’.

Philip Mundy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Forward, said the complexity of decision making in the NHS acted as a brake on the take-up of innovative ideas. He said: ‘’If you go too far you will be paralysed by committee and good ideas will never graduate beyond meetings. Find someone passionate about a problem and make them an internal champion and you will be amazed how quickly things will happen.’’