‘The LIFT platform gives us a ready-made delivery vehicle. We should use it.’

Speaking during the Westminster Health Forum NHS Estates policy conference, Lord Hutton urged the Government not to waste another year debating models of private-public partnerships.

He argues that Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) provides a model that works for neighbourhood health centres and had delivered more than 300 primary and community care facilities in England.

LIFT is in no doubt the most successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, initially securing around £2.5 billion of private investment into community based primary care assets in areas of significant health deprivation.

Almost 25 years on, these important ‘core’ assets are still maintained to the highest standards with no back log maintenance issues like we see across the wider NHS estate. Most importantly, these assets are ready to evolve and adapt to becoming home to more acute services as part of the Neighbourhood Health agenda.

We agree with Lord Hutton’s comments ‘The LIFT platform gives us a ready-made delivery vehicle, and we should definitely pick it up and run with it.’

LIFT partnerships are well established; they have proven that they can deliver critical NHS infrastructure, build successful local partnerships with service commissioners and they are well placed to evolve to support this next phase of Government investment in Neighbourhood health centres.

Extending this established partnership model, LIFT is ready to support any form of capital project and provide investment and estate expertise without delay.

For existing ‘core’ LIFT properties, it’s the right time to start to review lease agreements to remove any uncertainty for NHS service commissioners.

Lord Hutton’s full speech available here Association of Investors in Infrastructure

Healthcare management article https://www.healthcare-management.uk/breaking-news-private-sector-capital-reservoir-dam-lord-hutton