Community 1st is proud to support the transformation of health and social care on the Isles of Scilly with the opening of the new Isles of Scilly Hospital Wing and a pioneering integrated model of care.

This state-of-the-art facility, opened in July on St Mary’s, is more than just a building, it’s a partnership between NHS, social care, and community teams delivering more care closer to home. Services like Hospital at Home, expanded diagnostics, remote consultations, and mental health support are improving access and outcomes for island residents.

Early results show a nearly 30% drop in emergency medevac fly-offs to the mainland, proving the power of community-focused care.

Ken Jones, General Manager at Community 1st, said: “We’re proud to play our part in this project and to work alongside our NHS and Social Care partners and local teams to support their vision for a new neighbourhood model of care.”

With the new care home wing opening soon, the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership is leading the way in integrated, digitally enabled community care.

Equity Solutions is the private sector partner of Community 1^st, a successful PPP joint venture company that operates three LIFTco’s in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Oldham and Sheffield.

LIFT continues to be a successful PPP model delivering health and social infrastructure assets and support services via this long-term partnership. Flexibility in the LIFT model is enabling these core primary care assets to evolve to continually meet the changing needs of the NHS and local communities, with no issues of backlog maintenance.

With the NHS 10-year plan focused on shifting more services into local neighbourhoods, successful PPP models like LIFT are essential. They can continue to provide existing well-established structures and teams to quickly support this vital national agenda. .

Demonstrating the successes of the LIFT model, Equity Solutions is a proud founding member of the new Neighbourhood Health Forum. The Forum was launched to be a collective voice for neighbourhood health delivery, bringing together over £7bn of health infrastructure and 1,000 community facilities experience under various PPP models. This unrivalled track record and expertise will be vital in helping the Government accelerate its plans for a neighbourhood health service.

Read more in the launch report at www.neighbourhoodhealthforum.com

Equity Solutions is a market leading socially responsible investor in joint venture partnerships that make a difference.

www.equitysolutions.org.uk

Community 1st is proud to celebrate the official opening of the new hospital wing at St Mary’s Community Hospital, a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of health and care services for island residents.

This enhanced facility, delivered on behalf of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is part of a broader vision to improve care closer to home. With upgraded inpatient areas, new therapy spaces, and modern clinical environments, it’s a major step forward in meeting the unique needs of this remote community.

The success of this project reflects the close collaboration and partnership working between the local NHS leadership and service commissioning and delivery teams, our design and construction partners; Bluesky architects, Premier Modular, Mets and TMS, and the people of the Isles of Scilly, ensuring every detail supports better patient care, now and for years to come.

Ken Jones, General Manager said: “This project has been a remarkable demonstration of what’s possible when collaboration, commitment, and community come together.”

Read more here.

#HealthcareInfrastructure #IslesOfScilly #NHS #Community1st #IntegratedCare #RemoteCommunities #SocialValue #CommunityEngagement

The NHS’s new 10-year plan sets a bold direction: care that is local, preventative, integrated, and less reliant on hospitals.

Delivering on that vision takes more than policy. It takes the right infrastructure, built in the right places, through true partnership.

At Community 1st, we’re working closely with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), local NHS providers, and primary care networks across Oldham, Sheffield, and Cornwall to help enable this transformation via the long-term partnership ‘LIFT’ model.

Through our 19 modern, flexible health centres, we’re already providing:

• Integrated clinical and community space – supporting collaboration between GPs, mental health, diagnostics, and social care
• Flexible infrastructure – adaptable layouts that evolve with new models of care, digital access, and mobile teams
• Sustainable estates management – reducing the operational burden on the NHS with long-term support and no backlog maintenance

Whether it’s co-designing new spaces with neighbourhood teams, enabling out-of-hospital pathways, or providing estates solutions that support service reconfiguration, we’re proud to be a local long-term delivery partner— helping to turn NHS ambitions into effective, on-the-ground improvements.

We previously explored the Power of Partnerships and how the LIFT model can support the NHS 10-year plan, read here. 

While the Government explores what a new PPP model might look like, the LIFT model remains active and, as Community 1st has demonstrated, continues to operate successfully.

It demonstrates how a well-managed partnership between the private and public sectors can provide long-term ‘Core’ assets to the NHS, free from backlog maintenance issues, with spaces that adapt and evolve over time.

Because delivering the NHS’s future requires buildings—and partnerships—that are practical, responsive, and built to last.

#NHSEstate #LIFT #PPP #Workingtogether

Significant progress is being made on the Isles of Scilly in the development of a new Integrated Health and Social Care Facility, which is a vital project set to transform local healthcare services. Community 1^st is at the heart of this ambitious project, playing a key role in driving the project forward.

This is one of the most complex and logistically demanding projects ever attempted in such a remote UK location. Transporting over 80 shipping containers of materials to the islands by sea, often in challenging weather conditions, which has required meticulous planning and coordination. With limited access routes and geographical constraints, delivering and installing modular units has been no small feat. Yet, against all odds, what many once thought nearly impossible is now becoming a reality.

A major milestone was achieved in May 2025 with the successful installation of 17 modular units, which will form the new care home component of the facility. These units were carefully craned onto pre-laid concrete foundations in under 12 hours, an impressive display of teamwork, planning, and execution. At peak times, up to 40 people have been working on site to keep the project on track.

Community 1st’s commitment goes well beyond logistics. The organisation has actively involved the local community throughout the development, including engaging students from the Five Islands School. These initiatives highlight the importance placed on community engagement and social value, ensuring that the new facility reflects the unique needs and aspirations of the Isles of Scilly population.

Visitors to the site, including healthcare leaders and local councillors, have consistently praised the quality, speed, and ambition of the work to date. The transformation underway is a powerful testament to the collaborative efforts of all partners and to Community 1st’s leadership in managing such a complex and critical build.

Located on the site of the existing St Mary’s Community Hospital and adjacent land, the new facility will include 12 residential care home beds, NHS inpatient beds, a modern maternity suite, and a range of outpatient services including x-ray, dental, minor injuries, and consulting rooms.

As the project continues to move forward, Community 1st remains committed to ensuring that this state-of-the-art facility not only meets clinical standards but also truly serves the people of the Isles of Scilly, now and into the future.

Ken Jones, Community 1^st General Manager said: “With very little time to plan this project in advance and with little precedence for delivering a project like this on the islands, the whole journey has been a challenge of responding to events that couldn’t really be planned for.

Accommodation, material logistics and the challenges of refurbishing the existing building have created numerous hiccups along the way, but the entire team has pulled together to find solutions and keep things moving.

The hospital team have been very accommodating, and we recognise the difficulties and disruption the works have caused to their daily lives, but like everyone else, they recognise the importance of this significant investment in the Islands’ healthcare infrastructure and the long-term benefits to every islander.

Whilst it’s been a challenge for me to keep everything moving in the same direction as the project leader, I really couldn’t have done it without the partnership working ethos that the entire contracting team have adopted and the trust and free reign the Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust executive and estates team have given me to be able to make decisions on the fly and flex the scope to accommodate the unexpected.

This truly has been an unforgettable project for me, and I suspect for everyone else involved.”

Read more here: https://www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/news/new-isles-of-scilly-care-home-takes-shape-10000