The review of NHS Property and Estates by Sir Robert Naylor has published its findings.

It concludes that £10 billion additional capital will be needed to clear the maintenance backlog and support the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) process.

It also calls for the creation of a powerful new NHS Property Board to provide leadership, expertise and delivery support to trusts and STPs.

Responding to the Naylor Review, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson said:

“This review confirms longstanding trust concerns of a large and growing gap in capital funding. It concludes that at least £10 billion will be needed to tackle the maintenance backlog and to deliver the requirements of the Five Year Forward View. Both are vital if trusts are to continue providing the right quality of care for patients.

“The recommendations are measured, sensible and helpful responses to the challenge of how best to harness the value of the NHS estate.

This review confirms longstanding trust concerns of a large and growing gap in capital funding.

“Establishing a new NHS Property Board to provide leadership, expertise and delivery support to trusts will be beneficial to our members if the new board is effectively resourced and acts on the basis that its role is to help and serve the NHS frontline.

“The report is published at a time when STPs are still in development so we will need to consider, with members, which recommendations should be the responsibility of STPs and which should be the responsibility of individual trusts.

“There is a stretching target for trusts to release between £2 billion and £5 billion of assets for reinvestment and to deliver land for new homes. Trust leaders recognise their important responsibilities in this area but, as the report correctly points out, trusts currently lack the leadership bandwidth and expertise to deliver this target. We will therefore want to consider, with members, whether these targets are realistic and deliverable given these current constraints".