FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
NHS Property Services (NHSPS), in partnership with NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB (BLMK), has announced the successful delivery of two significant refurbishment projects that are providing needed clinical space to support patient care.
Completed in September 2024, the refurbishment of vacant space at Kempston has created three new consultant rooms and three dedicated retinal rooms. The new spaces have enabled the relocation of Cater Street Surgery into better quality accommodation, and will benefit a hundred more patients each month, offering GP consultations, baby immunisations, midwife services and nurse appointments. These improvements bring critical new capacity to a high health inequality area, enabling residents to access essential services closer to home.
Delivered earlier in April 2024, the Ampthill project reconfigured previously unused space to create four new consulting rooms for the two GP practices in the building and their Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
Both projects are a testament to the collaborative efforts of NHSPS and the ICB, delivering on shared goals to ensure the healthcare estate supports growing patient needs. By optimising the use of vacant and underutilized space, these upgrades are providing healthcare environments that support better outcomes and reduce inequalities in health access.
Felicity Cox, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “I am delighted that the upgrades to Kempston and Ampthill Health Centres have been completed in time to benefit local people this winter. The demand for appointments in primary care has grown significantly in recent years, with patients waiting for operations and needing our help in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“Our estates and clinical teams are looking for cost effective ways to increase space, so we can provide more appointments for people when they need it.”
Christopher Philbedge, Estates Strategy Lead for the Midlands at NHSPS, said: “Both developments are a testament to NHSPS’s ongoing work to deliver excellent patient care and brilliant service in line with local service needs. We are proud to have helped create more opportunities for patient care in that community.”
