Service: Strategic Property Advice
Challenges:
Shared Agenda Ltd were commissioned by Leeds Student Medical Practice to undertake a strategic estates review of the practice’s development options as one of the 7 localities defined in Leeds CCG’s Estates Strategy, to facilitate primary care transformation and the delivery of the out of hospital strategy.
Leeds Student Medical Practice operates from a modern purpose-built surgery in the centre of Leeds, serving a patient list size of 41,000 patients, specialising in supporting students and their families. With aspirations to further grow the business and provide greater future sustainability and resilience, the practice required additional clinical capacity and integration of a pharmacy service to support service development plans.
The principle objective of the report was to provide Leeds Student Medical Practice with a review of the options available to them and to produce a preferred option for progression to meet the future accommodation needs, with a detailed delivery plan to support the next stage of work.
Solutions:
In order to identify the future accommodation requirements for the practice, it was vital to gain an understanding of the specific service operations required to serve the atypical patient population that Leeds Student Medical Practice covers. This was achieved through close liaison with the practice manager and partners and NHS Leeds West CCG, collection of data and analysis to identify peak demands and clinic service needs.
It soon became evident that the practice was operating under a unique service model designed specifically for the particular student patient demographic that the practice serves, for instance, the practice had largely moved to bookable, on the day, in-person appointments only which has drastically reduced the number of unattended appointments, booking up to 300 appointments face to face on a daily basis. The resulting impact of this particular example on the estate was an unusually high footfall in the morning when on the day appointments were available, with long queues and poor circulation of the reception and waiting area as a result.
Through thorough data collection and analysis, the report:
• Undertook a strategic review of the current premises
• Determined the efficient use of the existing estate
• Identified future accommodation requirements
• Reviewed development schemes to date
• Developed high level financial appraisals for potential schemes
• Developed an options appraisal with recommendations
Combined, the data showed that the practice required a minimum of 10 additional clinical rooms to support development of services, an integrated pharmacy on site to support a triage service, improved reception circulation, increased back office capacity and identified efficiencies to be made in ways of working.
The proposal was for the additional requirements to be provided through an extension of the current building and reconfiguration of the existing layout, enabling the practice to both develop their own service provision and broaden the range of services available through third party provider use, creating a wrap-around service for students.
The report included both a considered review of historic design options and development of new design options in line with the evolved brief. The capital and revenue cost impact of each option was then analysed with an option benefits appraisal to identify the option that will deliver Leeds Student Medical Practice with the greatest operational benefits and efficiencies. Implementation analysis identified the financial deliverability and clinical capacity impact of phased implementation of the preferred options. The report also provided a procurement appraisal and outline delivery programme with ongoing management recommendations to support decision making for the development of the scheme.
Results:
The options appraisal was developed with the approval of Leeds West CCG and in close liaison with LSMP to ensure that the proposed developments fully support their clinical operations and service development aspirations, in line with the GP Forward View.
The proposed investment will provide sufficient quantity and quality, compliant accommodation to support a sustainable primary care model for the future; enabling the service efficiencies to be realised from new collaborative working arrangements in primary care and also supporting delivery of the out of hospital strategy.
The options appraisal was developed with the approval of Leeds West CCG and in close liaison with LSMP to ensure that the proposed developments fully support their clinical operations and service development aspirations, in line with the GP Forward View.
The proposed investment will provide sufficient quantity and quality, compliant accommodation to support a sustainable primary care model for the future; enabling the service
efficiencies to be realised from new collaborative working arrangements in primary care and also supporting delivery of the out of hospital strategy.