We provide health services in more than 400 buildings across south east London.
There is a huge variety of properties, from GP surgeries to community facilities and some of the largest hospitals in the capital. Our properties range in age, condition, style, and size. Most are over 40 years old.
South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) is one of the first ICBs to publish an Estates and Infrastructure Strategy.
Our strategy lays out our plans for a modern, adaptable estate, underpinned by three key ambitions:
- Stronger, safer, and greener buildings: buildings that are safe, adaptable and support the NHS to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
- Better and smarter infrastructure: supporting multi-disciplinary collaboration, enabled by technology.
- A fairer allocation of investment and more efficient use of resources: provide a levelled-up estates investment plan that tackles health inequalities.
How will we achieve this?
Four pillars support these ambitions:
- Strong leadership: strong leadership at all levels
- People and capability: a capable and effective workforce
- Data-driven decisions: using evidence to support estate planning
- Strategic investment: identifying clear capital and revenue priorities enabling the investment in the right place
You can read a summary of our Estates and Infrastructure strategy here.
Our estate
The majority of our buildings are located outside main hospital sites. Some of our buildings are new and or refurbished but many properties are no longer fit for purpose. Some are in the wrong place or are difficult to adapt to meet future needs.
There is also a lot of change happening in health and social care in the way that services are designed and delivered. Much of this change is centred around first appointments and there will be more people working from GP practices including secondary care, social care and domiciliary and care staff.
For estates professionals, this means the way in which buildings are being used is also changing. We will support this, where possible, with building design, adaptation and sustainability. We want to be able to provide modern, consistent, accessible, high quality joined-up services from our buildings. We want to limit the need for travel, with buildings in locations that are easy to reach by public transport, and make them more accessible for people in wheelchairs or with other physical needs.
We are working together in our integrated care system as providers and commissioners, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and through our local estates teams, to find ways to make the very best use of our estate. We want to make sure that we best meet the needs of local communities, now and in the future.
We also have a duty to ensure value for money. We have some buildings which we could use better: for instance, where administrative and support staff are using vital clinical space. We have developed a guide and resource pack for providers to look at ways of introducing agile and remote working for staff – to free up space, bring care closer to home and improve working lives.
Examples of what we’ve done:
Akerman Health Centre in Lambeth, Sunshine House Child Development Centre in Southwark, Waldron Health Centre in Lewisham received investment from the NHS and councils which meant they could be utilised better. The various reconfiguration and refurbishment projects will improve both clinical, admin and communal space, and make the centres much better environments for both patients and staff.
We have a significant investment programme underway which includes new buildings, refurbishment, extensions but in some cases disposal and lease exists. Our new exciting developments include Tessa Jowell health centre in Southwark and the new mental health hospital in Denmark Hill, Douglas Bennett House Southwark.
New projects in the pipeline include a community diagnostic centre in Eltham, Greenwich and a new health centre in Albion Street in Bexley.
If you’d like to find out more about the work estates do or have any questions, contact us at planning@selondonics.nhs.uk.
You can read a summary of our Estates and Infrastructure strategy here.