Community 1st News

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

Community 1st is the established long-term NHS estates partner in Oldham, Sheffield, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We are helping our partners to lead the way in delivering a greener NHS. 

Our journey toward Net Zero started more than 21 years ago, sparked by our commitment to building the most efficient, effective, and sustainable infrastructure for the NHS right from the initial design phase through construction and into operation. From day one, our main goal has been to maximise the carbon efficiency of each building we create and operate. 

This work continues. We recently installed 167 solar panels at Foxhill Medical Centre in Sheffield, supplying clean energy to the building, supporting day-to-day medical services with renewable power, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Read more here.

But it’s not solely about the buildings themselves.  By creating green spaces and promoting biodiversity, we can improve the environment and the well-being of patients, staff, and the local community.  

Last year, Penntorr Health’s Wellbeing Garden was recognised with the prestigious Collaborative Green Space Projects Award at the NHS Forest Awards. Read more here.

We have also supported local initiatives, including the social prescribing gardening project at Foxhill Medical Centre. Here, a raised bed was constructed for local volunteers to cultivate plants and vegetables.  Read more here.

These gardens and outdoor areas become havens for holistic health development by encouraging sustainability and creating a sense of community, which benefits patients, NHS employees, volunteers, and the environment. 

We continue to work in partnership with building users and head tenant Community Health Partnerships to look at innovative ways the building fabric and use of spaces can support carbon reduction and the longer-term NHS Net Zero targets.  

There is always more we can do, and our estate team supply chain partners Blue Support Services are experienced in undertaking a wide range of sustainable building projects and retrofit installations.  

We are working on projects across our LIFT estate and supporting wider NHS estate projects to deliver improvements aimed at tackling carbon reduction, including assisting with funding and business case applications.  

Get in touch with our team to discuss your suitability projects: info@community1st.co.uk  

Jonathan Keegan 

General Manager 

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 1st 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 1st 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

We were pleased to welcome Andrew George MP to the Isles of Scilly, where he visited one of our most complex and ambitious projects: the new integrated hospital and care facility. This project represents a significant financial investment by the NHS and demonstrates our commitment to working with our NHS partners to deliver transformative infrastructure in some of the UK’s most logistically challenging locations.

Mr George, along with NHS colleagues, toured the site and saw first hand the fantastic work being carried out by our team of contractors.

During his visit, Mr George also engaged with the wider island community, meeting students at Five Islands Academy, listening to concerns around housing, transport, and Post-16 education, and reaffirming his commitment to championing these issues in Westminster.

We’re proud to be delivering critical projects in partnership with local stakeholders that will enhance life on the Isles for generations to come.

Read more about Mr George’s visit here.

When people come across LIFT, it is often thought that the sole purpose is the delivery of new primary health care facilities. However, this is only one part of the extensive support we have effectively provided over our 20-year partnership with local communities and health economy partners. 

At this time of significant changes and challenges for the NHS and Social Care, our team often reflects on the transformations we have experienced over the years. More importantly, we focus on the future and how we can continue to support our local health economies in delivering high-quality care to their communities. 

Formed in 2004 as a partnership between the private sector and the Secretary of State for Health Community 1st is procurement cleared to provide a wide range of estate services in Oldham, Cornwall and Sheffield. Novel at the time, but at some point, falling out of favour, is it time to re-look at the success and value of a local public private partnership (PPP)? 

With capital funding for public sectors projects stalling, PwC have published a new report, ‘Transforming infrastructure investments: A private finance perspective’, aimed at the government to inform policy development and options for future funding for its upcoming 10-year Infrastructure Plan. The report explores the potential for a renewed Public Private Partnership model for blended financing of UK infrastructure. Read more here.

There are many lessons learnt from the LIFT Public Private Partnerships (PPP), which can bring a positive influence into any new PPP Model.  

Community 1st remains a ready-made partnership that has evolved over the last 20 years to respond to each and every reform and structural change the NHS has witnessed.  

We have endeavoured to ensure we can provide a flexible approach to delivering a wide range of services, from direct appointments for specific estate or FM services, supporting NHS backlog maintenance projects, to arranging finance or developing lease arrangements within our LIFT areas. All of this is key to providing tailored support to our partners when needed, often under tight timescales and financial constraints. 

As we anticipate the release of the new 10-Year Health Plan and the upcoming modifications to the NHS and Care structures, we are in the process of strategic and operational planning for services across all our regions. This support encompasses the development of new clinical service strategies across geographic regions and facilitates discussions across sector boundaries to explore the potential for integration and collaboration among service providers. It utilises our LIFT estate as an enabler and also includes the provision of project management support to assist NHS teams in delivering in-house capital works and facilities management on their own estate.  

Establishing multi-skilled locally based teams in all our areas has allowed us to develop and nurture long-term successful partnerships, providing not only expertise and additional resources when needed but also a continuity of knowledge, despite many NHS and Social Care reforms. 

If you want to read more about our recent work outside of our own LIFT estate, you can find recent news stories here, or if you would like to talk to us about how we could support you please get in touch via community1st.co.uk/get-in-touch/ 

 

Jonathan Keegan 

General Manager 

jkeegan@community1st.co.uk  

Foxhill Medical Centre in Sheffield has taken a step towards sustainability with the installation of 167 solar panels, expected to generate 74,806 kWh of clean electricity annually and save approximately 15,489 kg of CO₂ emissions each year.

The project is part of a broader commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of NHS sites and promote greener, more energy-efficient healthcare buildings.

The installation was project managed by Community 1st Sheffield, who own and operate the centre, and funded by their key NHS partner Community Health Partnerships.

The 167 panels are mounted on the centre’s roof. They will supply clean energy directly to the building, supporting day-to-day medical services with renewable power and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Jonathan Keegan said: “This installation is a fantastic example of how NHS buildings can lead in tackling climate change while reducing running costs. We’re proud to deliver a project that will benefit both the environment and the long-term sustainability of Foxhill Medical Centre.”

hashtagsustainability hashtagNHSEstate hashtagWorkingtogether

If you are involved in any part of planning services, estate or delivering FM within the NHS, or even reading the latest news about the current challenges faced, I can almost guarantee there will be a mention of the ongoing and growing backlog maintenance issue. 

The latest ERIC data (which includes the condition of NHS Hospital buildings and equipment) states that the figure to eradicate problems in secondary care now stands at £13.8b, with a 15% increase in the ‘high risk’ backlog in the previous year. Failure to address repairs urgently could lead to serious injury to staff and patients, with potential major disruption to services. 

But this isn’t the whole picture. The same level of detail is not currently collated for the Primary Care estate, which is often pieced together from various surveys and reports. We do know that figures here don’t improve; 20% of practices were built before the establishment of the NHS in 1948, and 53% are over 30 years old. 

As we await the release of the new NHS 10-year health plan, which we already know focuses upon moving care from hospitals to communities (left shift), leveraging technology, and prioritising  prevention over treatment, there’s a feeling of ‘kicking the can down the road’. 

Without doubt, a clinical model that provides patients with timely access to a wider range of services in their local neighbourhoods is the NHS and Social Care system we want to achieve. A system that relieves pressure in acute settings and ensures the right professional sees patients in the right setting. We also want these new models of care to attract a workforce that wants to work in these settings, delivering high-quality care. 

The reality is that to achieve the ‘left shift’, we must closely examine the current capability within the Primary Care estate.  

As Community 1st sponsored a workshop event last week, hosting strategic leaders from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System, who gathered to discuss how best to shift acute services from traditional hospital settings into community locations, the Government announced a capital fund of £102m, to ‘create additional space’ at 1000 GP surgeries across England.  

The news was well received but sparked considerable discussion about the actual impact this funding would have against a backdrop where much of the Primary Care estate isn’t ‘fit for purpose’. 

Whilst the funding announced will help a small number of GP surgeries, with ‘quick fixes’, we need to consider current opportunities that will enable the transformation of clinical service delivery, be achieved quickly, and maintained in the long term.  

We demonstrate time and time again the opportunities that are presented with the existing LIFT estate – an estate that is fit for purpose, flexible, maintained to day-one standard, and in Community 1st areas, located in local neighbourhoods with high health needs and deprivation, and importantly not yet utilised to its fullest capacity. 

While demonstrating these opportunities to stakeholders, we must address what the system perceives as blockers. The most common theme is that ‘LIFT is expensive’.  

Why is that? 

Hopefully, the answer is clear from the details provided earlier.  

The LIFT estate was designed to be able to meet the changing needs of local populations for many years. It was also designed to comply with current (and, as far as possible, future) NHS standards (HTM, HBN, IPC), and importantly, the estate is continually maintained to day-one standard. 

With a need to meet stringent criteria within LIFT agreements, our local FM and estate management partners achieve consistently high maintenance, safety and environmental standards across the whole LIFT estate, all via detailed pre-planned maintenance agreements. This ensures the estate will remain fit for purpose, with the ability to expand service provision quickly and efficiently for many years. 

When comparing costs, the LIFT estate versus a poorly maintained, unsuitable estate, it’s clear that the costs will be higher since we’re not comparing like with like.  

So, back to my earlier comment: are we ‘kicking the can down the road’?  

We know the shift from acute to local settings is the right one for those services that can be delivered safely in these settings, whether outreach, outpatient diagnostics, or follow-up care. 

The capital announcement from Primary Care is welcome, but how much will it achieve? Will the estate changes meet the requirements for additional clinical space? Will that allow for an enlarged waiting area and the appropriate support space and staff facilities necessary to comply with HTM and HBN guidelines? Moreover, will these upgrades be maintained in the medium and long term to ensure high-quality care and better environments for staff for years to come?  

I believe we know the answer, and I think we understand that this must change. In our local areas, we are supporting ICB colleagues in planning and delivering transformational change, which extends beyond just the LIFT estate. There is a focus on PLACE, an emphasis on the estate as an enabler rather than a driver, and a commitment to what is best for the patient. 

Our local teams will continue supporting our local health economy partners to address these challenges. We view our LIFT estate as a successful model of long-term partnership and a catalyst for enabling long-term change, one that does not contribute to the existing backlog maintenance issue. 

We will continue to work with our NHS partners and hope to demonstrate the value of long term joint venture partnerships as a model that could help the NHS meet its estate needs.  

 

Kate Edwards 

Health Development Director 

kedwards@community1st.co.uk  

 

#NHSEstate #Workingtogether #Leftshift 

Today, on World FM Day, we recognise the vital role of facilities management in keeping essential services running smoothly.

As a long-term NHS partner, we manage over 1 million sq. ft of primary care estate, delivering 24/7 facilities management services to ensure safe, efficient, and high-performing healthcare environments.

This year’s theme, ‘Thriving in a World of Change’, highlights the need for adaptability and innovation. In a time of rapid environmental and technological shifts, we remain committed to sustainable solutions that help reduce energy costs and carbon footprints, ensuring our customers can build a greener, more resilient future.

With the support of our facilities management partner, Blue Support Services, we continue to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and readiness for the challenges ahead.

Find out more here: https://bluesupportservices.co.uk/services/

#FacilitiesManagement #NHSestateservices #Workingtogether #Estatemanagement #WorldFMDay25

Community 1st sponsored a workshop event this week, hosting strategic leaders from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System, who gathered to talk about how best to shift acute services from traditional hospital settings into community locations.

Community 1st is a long-term partner of the local NHS. Established in 2004, we operate six ‘core’ healthcare assets across Oldham in accessible community locations.

Delivered through the LIFT model, even years later, these facilities remain fit for purpose, with no backlog maintenance issues and inherently flexible building designs that allow them to adapt to changing health service needs over time.

The day was led by Dr Mohan Kumar, Clinical System Lead for Estates (GMICS), alongside CHP NW Regional Director Jeanette Leach and National Strategic Productivity Partner Mike Simpson and was highly productive for all involved.

Jonathan Keegan, Community 1st General Manager, said, ‘This event was a fantastic opportunity to bring together leaders across the local health economy. There was a lot of discussion around plans for how more health services can be shifted into these core facilities in Oldham. We look forward to working together to support these impactful projects.’

Kate Edwards MIWFM, Health Development Director, said, ‘With over 20 years of successful partnership working with the NHS, we are keen to demonstrate how the LIFT model and facilities can adapt to changing service needs, ensuring our partners’ strategic aims in the upcoming NHS 10-year plan can be met.’

NHS CHP Workinginpartnership OldhamHealth NHSConfed EstatesStrategy LiftcoSupport

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  

Last week, students from Five Islands School visited our site on the Isles of Scilly, getting hands-on experience in sustainable construction. As part of a student-led design competition, they’ll transform recycled materials from our Integrated Health and Social Care Facility project into a covered walkway and seating area, with guidance from our design team to bring their vision to life.

Stay tuned as the students unveil their designs, we can’t wait to see their creativity in action and announce the winning concept.

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.