Partnerships with NHS could boost housebuilding

The NHS could save nearly £6bn over 25 years by partnering with housing associations to build supported housing on its surplus land, a report yesterday claimed.

NHS Surplus Land for Supported Housing, published by think tank the Smith Institute alongside One Housing Group, said working with housing associations to develop surplus NHS land for supported housing could produce annual savings of around £75,000 per mental health patient and £50,000 per older person.

The report says that based on current levels of land sold by NHS trusts, and assuming 367 supported homes built each year for 15 years, the NHS could save up to £5.9bn over the next 25 years. Currently, delayed discharges from acute wards cost the NHS around £200m per year.

Brendan Sarsfield, chief executive of 24,000-home Family Mosaic and chair of the G15 group of associations in London, welcomed the report.

He said: ‘Health service professionals aren’t experts on land, they’re experts on health. If we’re to have a successful health service, the NHS desperately needs partnerships with people like us, and with local authorities.

‘From where I sit, we’re working hard to make sure we speak the health language. There are some successes but they’re patchy. We’ve got highlight those successes and build on them.’

Paul Hunter, author of the report and head of research at the Smith Institute, said: ‘This study shows there are significant savings that could be made through joint ventures between housing associations and NHS Trusts. It is a win-win opportunity.’

In April the Homes and Communities Agency announced it had acquired six NHS trust surplus sites, totalling 26.3 hectares.

A spokesperson for the NHS Trust Development Authority said: ‘It is important that all NHS Trusts make the best use of their land. While we are not prescriptive about how NHS Trusts use their estates, any changes must demonstrate benefits for patients.’