A challenge for primary care transformation is having buildings fit for purpose – buildings that create a better environment both for healthcare teams to deliver greater services and for patients to be treated.

The National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) has launched a new film with estates partner GPI and Octopus Healthcare who offer both practical and financial solutions to securing new buildings for future primary care services. It features Fleet Health Campus – a new purpose built building comprising a walk-in centre, three GP practices and a pharmacy in Kent.

The new facility has seen local practices working together to think about both the needs of their local community and what they will require in the future. This has helped them develop a building that is fit for purpose and future-proof. Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven, former Chief Executive of Fleet Healthcare, highlights the importance of looking beyond practice boundaries to create the best estate possible. He said “Practice boundaries are what we make in our minds and we must start looking at the bigger picture of needs and what we need in this area. We didn’t want to have a super-duper model surrounded by poorer GP premises around us, we wanted a model that would cater for them all.”

Dr Nav Chana, NAPC Chair, points to the important work the NAPC is doing around supporting primary care to develop the estate they need to deliver healthcare now and in the future. “Though our primary care home model we are offering some of the solutions to the way we think about care provision moving into the future. One of the challenges around this is to ensure that the buildings and estates that we have are fit for purpose so that there is a great environment for both staff and patients to be looked after in.”

In the video GPI Founding Director Mark Sheardown explains how they help those on the ground, delivering primary care to get the buildings they need: “We’re presenting a complete solution to doctors and to practice managers. In partnership with them we design the sort of building that they want.”

GPI work closely with their investment partners Octopus Healthcare. Tim Meggitt Director, Octopus Healthcare adds: “We’ve got the capital funding and what we are really interested in are those buildings that are modern and fit for purpose for the next generation.”

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