22 Apr 2013
The NHS has unused property the size of London’s Hyde Park standing vacant, according to a firm of surveyors.
EC Harris says that the NHS could save up to £2.3 billion by streamlining its procurement and facilities management, despite the fact that the organisation has got rid of half of its unused property since 2009.
The report, called ‘Delivering better healthcare outcomes more efficiently’, shows that the NHS has about 157 hectares of wasted space in its estate and that 12.8% of the total NHS estate is “functionally unsuitable”.
Speaking to Construction News, Conor Ellis, author of the report and health sector leader at EC Harris, said: “Trusts should be planning strategically to look at long term savings.
“The NHS has improved year-on-year, however all organisations should be cognisant of the opportunities presented through cost-efficient estate facilities management and procurement. In the decentralised NHS world, this means collaborating with other trusts, local authorities and other parties to form partnerships not only to improve outcomes and risk, but to clearly reduce cost via scale and standardised performance.”
The annual report, which is the fourth of its kind by EC Harris, recommends greater standardisation, collaboration with neighbouring trusts and the use of new operating models.
Copyright Press Association 2013