It’s widely recognised that NHS estates are not meeting the standard that they need to. Patients, staff and visitors are dealing with outdated facilities and, in many cases, inadequate experiences. However, NHS England alongside NHS trusts across the country are on a mission to change this.
Exploring how procurement can be the facilitator of necessary improvements, our latest edition of Pagabo Live brought together experienced private sector professionals sharing the desire to help those working in the healthcare sector to improve processes, outcomes and expectations.
Led by our regular host Tom Snee of Cartwright, our panel for this episode included healthcare director at GRAHAM, Elizabeth Smith, deputy CEO at Sewell Advisory, Nikola Idle, and our very own director of national delivery, Karen Carter.
The state of play
To be able to suggest viable solutions, our panelists began their deep dive by dissecting the challenges faced by NHS trusts. At the top of everyone’s list was current funding and visibility of what to expect in the future. Despite NHS funding being a regular topic of conversation for government representatives and an encouraging sentiment being maintained, the ongoing support – which appears effective on paper – does not feel so encouraging for the decision makers responsible for estates management.
Elizabeth, Nikola and Karen were quick to identify that although funding is a major sticking point, there are competing priorities which mean estates maintenance and improvement cannot be the only focus. From recruitment and staffing through to net zero strategies, it’s a challenging landscape to strike the right balance.
Where estates management is concerned, net zero is widely considered to be the number one challenge – with the majority of trusts trying to follow their own strategy but experiencing limited success. This is where our panel suggested specialist private sector support is absolutely imperative.
Modernising NHS procurement
Acknowledging that expert consultants and contractors can make a vital difference to achieving ambitions for NHS estates improvements, we focused our session on how procurement is the key to solving the ongoing issue with a lack of public sector resources.
Our panel highlighted that this is an opportune time for the NHS, because where constraints are present there is a breeding ground for innovation and creative thinking. As private sector mentalities can lean towards more risk-averse approaches, it remains the private sector’s responsibility to introduce and champion modern approaches that have proven successful in other sectors.
One area that is gaining momentum is the adoption of digital solutions and data-driven decision making, to create a single source of truth and reduce duplication. Where estates are concerned, using new technologies can hugely enhance the understanding of buildings and facilities – and solutions can be introduced by suppliers with extensive knowledge and experience. To connect the public sector with these opportunities, procurement holds the key.
This isn’t just restricted to typical competitive tenders; it could be direct awards or early engagement to build and nurture successful collaboration, which unlocks additional benefits such as added social value and cost savings.
For NHS trusts to make procurement decisions easier, it all starts with a detailed and clear brief. However, the overall time required is then reduced over the life of a project as the right suppliers are brought in earlier and can begin implementing solutions based on greater awareness of the challenges and opportunities.
Public-private partnerships
The panel not only explored the potential for new public-private partnerships, there was time dedicated to discussing PFI contracts and preparing for privately owned facilities to be handed over into public sector control.
As it stands, this is a difficult situation for NHS trusts to plan for due to there being few examples to learn from and significant contract inconsistencies. However, this situation prompts further advice based on learning from experts across the healthcare sector.
The fact remains that the majority of buildings constructed under PFI contracts are going to be operational long into the future, so it’s essential that they are factored into long-term planning to ensure high quality facilities are maintained and continually improved where possible.
What does NHS procurement and estates delivery best practice look like?
To hear all of the thoughts and experiences shared by our latest Pagabo Live panel, you can watch or listen to the session online now.
The episode concluded by each panelist giving their short summary what best practice looks like in the future of NHS procurement and estates delivery, to which Karen explained that the public sector should not hide away with specifications, as procurement without clarity and transparency is never as successful. By harnessing the experience of colleagues and expert consultants, project teams become collectively stronger.
Nikola advocated focusing on bringing the right people together to overcome problems, explaining that it should be a constant aim to maintain processes that enable NHS trusts to tackle challenges head on. And finally, Elizabeth highlighted the importance of curiosity, urging people to ask questions and collaborate – to be able to see things from different perspectives.
Claim your CPD credit
Pagabo Live now has CPD accreditation for its knowledge offering. If you are tuned in live to our sessions, you will receive a link via email afterwards to claim your CPD credit. So, don’t forget to check your email inbox if you have tuned in recently.
Next up
Our next instalment of Pagabo Live will also be taking place in July, on Wednesday the 16th at 3pm, where another expert panel will be discussing the topic of ‘White Paper Research Unpicked: Driving Decarbonisation in the Public Sector’.
Make sure to register now by visiting www.pagabo.co.uk/pagabo-live.
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