Last year Community 1st celebrated 20 years of working in partnership with the local NHS in two of our LIFT areas, Cornwall and Oldham, and we celebrate the same milestone this year for Sheffield. 

The Community 1st team is largely the  team that was in place when the three separate LIFT companies were established. These teams include our strategic and operational planners, our design team and our multi-skilled building service engineers, project managers and capital works and construction team members. 

When these milestones come around it provides a clear reminder to our teams of the positive impact that their incredible hard work in developing and maintaining the Community1st LIFT estate has had and continues to have on the delivery of health services to the local communities that they serve. 

The benefits of the wider LIFT estate were further highlighted in the recent PWC report commissioned to understand the relative costs and benefits against the wider NHS portfolio and commercial alternatives. This report can be found here.

In the most recent DHSE publication ‘Reforming elective care for patients’ which sets out the aspirations for transforming care ahead of the 10-year Health Plan, it’s important that we continue to recognize the valuable opportunities that the existing LIFT estate can deliver.  

As our NHS partners continue with the challenges of the growing backlog maintenance bill, and an estate that will clearly not support the aims and aspirations for improving access to services, we should look further at the capabilities that already exist in the LIFT estate. 

Each Community 1st LIFT Facility was developed and located in areas with a higher than the UK average for deprivation, and health need. They are inherently flexible in design, meeting all HTM and HBN standards, and maintained through a robust Lifecycle plan, providing long-term access to fit for purpose accommodation and cost certainty for tenants. This ensures that the LIFT estate can respond to changes in service demand for many years whilst avoiding adding to the growing backlog maintenance issue on the wider NHS estate. 

The recent recognition and categorization of each of our LIFT facilities as Core estate, required for the continued delivery and expansion of primary and Community Care services demonstrates that the estate is vital in achieving a shift to providing greater access and choice to patients in their local community. 

With our continued work to support NHS Partners in their long-term strategic and operational service planning, we have demonstrated opportunities for greater and expanded service delivery in every LIFT area. Our in-house team who intrinsically know these facilities can demonstrate the capacity that already exists within these facilities. Working with NHS service delivery teams we can provide options for accommodation layouts, requiring minimal adaptations to support additional and enhanced service delivery.  

These options include the use of space that is currently underutilized to support strategic planning discussions with Integrated Care Boards and the head tenant. Or options for the utilisation of expansion space designed in originally and that sits outside of the head tenant demise and available for fit out according to the service providers requirements, along with flexible lease arrangements. 

Greater utilisation of the existing LIFT Portfolio can act as the catalyst for long term change to service delivery, the capability to offer enhanced services such as diagnostics and point of care testing in local communities, in facilities that already exist, capable and are fit for purpose, and will remain as such for many years.  

We need to see the LIFT estate do exactly what it was designed to do, evolve. 

Kate Edwards 

Health Development Director  

At Community 1st, we’re committed to social value and building a sustainable future.

We’re partnering with the Five Islands School on the Isles of Scilly for a student-led design competition, using recycled materials from our project at the new Integrated Health and Social Care Facility to create a covered external walkway/seating area. With guidance from our design team, the winning concept will be brought to life, giving students hands-on experience in sustainable construction.

We’re also collaborating with TMS, METS, and local businesses to rebuild the schools’ outdoor amphitheatre which has collapsed and create a cover to prove shade and shelter.

By reusing site materials that would otherwise be transported off the island, we’re reducing waste and reinforcing our commitment to sustainability.

We’re calling on our network, can you support us with materials or expertise? Let’s build something meaningful together.

The first batch of modular units for this new NHS project have been successfully installed this week, marking a significant step forward in enhancing healthcare services for the island community. This state-of-the-art facility provide comprehensive care, bringing together health and social services under one roof.

The project is being managed by Community 1^st on behalf of the NHS, supported by partners: METS, TMS, Premier Modular and Bluesky Architects.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build a healthier future for the Isles.

Read more here: https://www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/news/major-milestone-for-islands-health-and-social-care-facility-9851

The St Austell Elective Surgical Hub is the region’s first bespoke surgical unit outside the main Acute hospital.

This scheme was project managed by Community 1st Cornwall, with support from our supply chain. The design of the facility incorporated innovative modular construction solutions provided by Moduelco. The project also included important electrical infrastructure upgrades to the main community hospital site to provide capacity for the new surgical hub to be situated here.

This state-of-the-art facility is part of the local NHS strategic plan to transform patient care and streamline surgical procedures.

Read more here.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone here at Community 1st. 

We look forward to working with partners old and new in 2025. 

#MerryChristmas #WorkingTogether #ThankYou #NHSEstateServices #facilitiesmanagement  #propertymanagement #assetmanagement 

Over the past 20 years, Community 1st Oldham (C1O) has been working in partnership with the local NHS to deliver much-needed investment into primary healthcare buildings tailored to the specific health needs of the local community.  

This partnership came to life in 2004 with the development of our first scheme, Moorside Medical Centre, which opened in early 2006, followed by four other state-of-the-art primary care facilities in Oldham including the flagship Oldham Integrated Care Centre, one of the largest centres of its kind in the UK. The partnership also developed Chadderton Wellbeing Centre, which includes a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym and fitness suite, and library. 

These facilities are great examples of our understanding of the NHS Long Term Plan, ensuring each facility has a flexible design that has been able to adapt to evolving health requirements over the years whilst continuing to provide safe, modern, and compliant spaces for the original building users. 

Community 1st has a responsibility to maintain these facilities for the NHS. Our supply chain partner, Blue Support Services, provides operational facilities management via their locally based skilled team, generating long-term employment opportunities. Our proactive maintenance approach means these buildings continue to look as good today as they did when they were first built.  

Jon Keegan, General Manager of Community 1st Oldham, said, ‘Community 1st is proud to be a long-standing partner of the NHS in Oldham. With a well-established local team, we understand the area and the priorities of our NHS partners. The enduring legacy of this partnership is evident in the positive impact these community health facilities have on their local communities.” 

Zoe Openshaw, Business Manager at Blue Support Services, said, “As a local employer, Blue Support Services is committed to maintaining the Community 1st NHS Health facilities to the highest standards. These facilities are valuable assets for our communities, providing essential healthcare services to many. Blue Support delivers facilities management, statutory compliance services, and supports backlog maintenance projects across the broader NHS network. We are proud to assist our front line NHS colleagues by ensuring their facilities are safe, compliant and well maintained at all times.” 

Primary care has seen substantial change at both local and national levels in recent years. We take pride in our strong partnerships and ties with the local community, who have worked alongside us to adapt quickly and effectively to these changes. 

Our buildings host a wide array of primary care and community services, offering award-winning facilities to neighbourhoods across Oldham. However, our work goes beyond new construction projects. 

For over 20 years, we have managed a variety of capital projects—both large and small—throughout the local health estate on behalf of the NHS, delivering a comprehensive range of professional estate services. 

We are committed to collaborating closely with our local GP and NHS partners to meet the evolving needs of these facilities. As a procurement-approved partner, we’re also ready for immediate appointment when needed. 

In these challenging times, we look forward to continuing to provide a flexible, responsive estate service that supports the goals of the NHS Long Term Plan and adapts to changing local service priorities.