In light of the recent budget announcement, we thought we’d take a look at some of the new reforms and promises that have been made to help modernise the UK’s healthcare system. In this article we look at what they mean and the opportunities and challenges that may arise.
New Neighbourhood Health Centres
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced there are plans for new neighbourhood health centres. These will be built primarily in England’s more deprived areas. An extra £29bn a year will be spent on the NHS. This is with the aim to improve access to care, reduce waiting lines and ease pressure on hospitals.
Plans state that health centres will be renewed by repairing current estates and new buildings. According to Reeves, over 100 of these health centres will be delivered by the year 2030 in key locations across the country. Reeves also noted these services will initially focus on giving support to those with more complicated needs and long term conditions. The aim being to eventually expand to help other patients.
NHS Technology Upgrades
The budget outlines that NHS technology will increase by almost 50%. It will cost around £10bn to bring, as Reeves described an, “analogue health system into the digital age.”. The intention is to support the NHS staff to spend less time on administrative tasks, and more time on patient care. The ultimate goal is to improve productivity and drive down waiting lists.
What this Means for You
For our clients and anyone working in healthcare, these reforms create opportunities to improve and expand healthcare facilities. With the NHS planning significant investment in projects, such as neighbourhood health centres, you may have access to additional funding or development programmes. Chawton Hill’s specialist experience in primary care and medical facilities means we can help guide and support you through these reforms.
Here are some examples of how we have helped people in the past:
- Ambulance Hub: Ransomes Industrial Estate, Ipswich. This project is another ‘make ready’ ambulance hub. Sustainability was our key focus with the hub incorporating smart technologies and photovoltaic (PV) panels.
- Croft Medical Centre, Eastergate. Our roles as employer’s agent, quantity surveyor and principal designer involved guiding the project from inception to completion, ensuring cost certainty, compliance and quality delivery.
- Bury St Edmunds Ambulance Hub. Our support on this project saw us working with one of England’s largest ambulance trusts. The operation of the Bury St Edmunds ambulance hub is designed to be fully net zero carbon.
You can find more of our projects here.
Problems That Can Occur
However, repairing current buildings creates struggles with time limits and costs. Already, there is a maintenance backlog for NHS buildings at almost £16bn. Chawton Hill can help you ensure costs for such projects are kept to a minimum and projects delivered on time and within budget.
If you need assistance with any of these issues, please get in touch today if you have questions or are interested in our healthcare construction projects. We are more than happy to give guidance and support.