Procurement solutions can tackle the backlog

Estate management is an increasingly urgent issue for the UK government, which is facing a £49 bn public estate maintenance backlog, with £13.8 bn accounted for by the healthcare sector alone – more than twice the 2015/16 figure, highlighting a growing strain on healthcare infrastructure. With limited resources, NHS Trusts must now tap into available support. Here Jonathan Oram, director of Frameworks at procurement specialist, Pagabo, highlights how procurement solutions are key in effectively tackling the healthcare backlog crisis.

The struggle to ensure that NHS healthcare buildings remain fit-for-purpose is at a tipping point, and the mounting backlog maintenance costs for public estates highlight the strain that continues to stretch an already overburdened NHS, where many estates include ageing buildings. Improving healthcare infrastructure is a high priority for the government, as evidenced by the plans for new hospitals set out in New Hospital Programme (NHP). However, equally pressing — certainly in the short-to-medium term, is the fact that the existing estate needs to be refurbished, reconfigured, and revamped in many areas to continue to serve modern healthcare needs. However, for this to be done effectively, collaborative effort to deliver across client and project teams in a way that ensures top-quality clinical care, alongside overall value, will be key.

The National Audit Office's recent report (NAO), Maintaining public service facilities, published in January this year, spotlighting the staggering backlog in the UK's estate maintenance, is not something we can suggest has come as a surprise. The detrimental effect on, and risks to, patient safety from issues such as poorly maintained buildings and M&E services are clear, but there are deeper cuts that continue to make the NHS bleed. These include treatment delays, cancelled procedures, and delays in discharge.