- The majority (87.5%) of respondents to our survey disagreed with the statement 'my organisation is able to secure adequate capital funding.'
- Greater capital funding to the community sector will be central to achieving the government's three shifts. When asked whether their organisation has the right amount of capital to achieve the shift to the community, all respondents to our survey disagreed. Likewise, 92% said this about the shift from analogue to digital, as well as the shift from treatment to prevention.
- There was strong agreement (79%) from respondents that their buildings, facilities and data/digital infrastructure were safe for patients and staff. However, two-thirds (66%) believed that the patient experience was not being improved by the current state of community facilities.
- Over four-in-five respondents also agreed that their buildings and facilities were a barrier to higher productivity.
- To boost productivity, two-thirds of respondents said digital systems were their priority for investment: this was the most commonly selected response.
- Over 80% of respondents stated that community providers should be appropriately prioritised within system-level capital planning.
- Three-quarters outlined the need for a longer-term estate strategy and three-in-five highlighted the need for better connectivity between services, for example by co-locating primary care and local authority services.
- Most respondents said they would like to see longer-term plans from the government to leverage the current NHS estates, while nearly four-in-five agreed that access to targeted capital investment and the freedom to explore alternative routes to strategic capital funding were essential.
Recommendations
National
- To deliver on the government's commitment to shift more care closer to home, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should prioritise capital and revenue investment in technology and estates for community health services.
- Capital department expenditure limits (CDEL) should be reviewed and increased for the Department of Health and Social Care.
- The rules governing how trusts enter into leases should be reviewed to allow more freedom to leverage existing estates.
- Leasing should enable colocation with other partners, allowing for greater flexibility than is possible within wholly owned properties.
System
- Integrated care boards (ICBs) should ensure that their ten-year infrastructure strategies also consider the needs of community health services.
- ICBs should consider how the estate available to community health services supports greater joined-up integrated working at neighbourhood and place levels.
Research questions
Note:
- Not all charts will add up to 100 per cent because respondents were able to skip questions.
- Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
Participants' roles
Which of the following best describes your role?