Management of the NHS Estate

Abstract

The National Health Service estate in England comprises about 50,000 acres of (mainly freehold) land on which stand about 2,000 hospitals and numerous other buildings. The value of the estate for existing use purposes has been estimated at £18bn. The annual running costs for the estate, for heating, light‐ing, maintenance, cleaning etc, amount to more than £1.5bn or about £50 for every square metre of built space. How well is this substan‐tial asset used, and what contribution can improved management of the NHS estate make to the business of health care? By more efficient use of the estate, significant sums of both revenue and capital can be released. More effective use of the estate can improve the quality of care offered to patients. More creative manipulation of the estate can generate income to support health care development.

Citation

Nugent, R. (1990), "Management of the NHS Estate", Journal of Management in Medicine, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 262-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb060560