Appropriate capital funding is needed to bring long neglected parts of the NHS estate into the 21st century for staff and patients. From fixing leaking roofs and broken boilers, to transforming estates to make them fully digitised and sustainable, and enhancing diagnostic capacity, capital investment has the potential to transform the NHS – improving patients’ experience and making it more efficient and effective.
Capital also plays an important role in supporting the work of NHS organisations as ‘anchor institutions’. As an employer of 1.4 million people, the NHS creates value in local communities, and supports social, economic, and environmental aims. However, many NHS organisations are currently unable to support their local communities’ health and wellbeing through the use of land and estates due to the poor condition of their infrastructure.
This report explores the state of capital funding and allocations across the NHS provider sector and how trusts can access capital. We highlight the extent of the dilapidated estate and make the case for strategic capital investment at both the system and national level to drive productivity, improve patient care, and enable much-needed transformation across the NHS.