New Health Centres LIFT OFF!

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT (HMRPCT) and Bolton PCT have just established a new LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) Company with the Eric Wright Group and Partnerships for Health. (PfH)

This signals the start of a long-term partnership to develop and deliver state of the art healthcare premises across Rochdale Borough.

Being granted LIFT status in 2005 was fundamental in assisting the PCT’s aim of providing top quality healthcare, where and when it is needed and in turn made these plans a reality.

The project in Bolton, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale is the first out of the 7 fourth wave LIFT projects nationally to achieve financial close at this early stage.

The HMRPCT is committed to developing primary care services in the local community with the best interests of local people in mind. The proposed Health and Social Care Centres planned for the borough will provide local people with a high quality, purpose built facilities which will act as landmarks at the heart of each community.

Building work will begin on site on the first two LIFT facilities at Alkrington and Deeplish. The first of these to be opened will be at Alkrington and is scheduled for completion by spring 2008. The larger scheme at Deeplish will be completed by early 2009.

Trevor Purt, Chief Executive of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust said: “The LIFT centres are an exciting development bringing together health professionals and  social care providers, so that they can all work together to care for each patient.  Each centre will be unique and will provide services specifically designed to meet the needs of the patients it serves. People will also be able to access many procedures previously only available in hospitals.”

Background

The LIFT programme was set up in 2000 and has led to the setting up of 42 LIFT companies in the first three waves. A third of these are in health action zones and cover the most deprived areas of the country.  The fourth wave of LIFT projects includes a further seven areas, out of which BRAHM is the first to reach Financial Close, and is therefore the 43rd LIFT Company.

The NHS Plan outlined NHS LIFT as a vehicle to invest money into primary care premises throughout the country to help reduce waiting times for GPs. NHS LIFT is also providing integrated primary care premises which can provide a range of primary care services from one site.

The Department of Health (DoH) has wholly owned Partnerships for Health Ltd (PfH) since December 2006. This reflects the establishment of a mature market for investment in LIFT companies. Prior to December 2006 PfH had been a national joint venture between the DoH and Partnerships UK (PUK), set up to develop and encourage a new market for investment in primary care and community based facilities and services.

The LIFTCo.  model reflects 20 per cent funding from PfH, 20 per cent funding from the local health economy with the remaining 60 per cent coming from the private sector.

The local investors in the BRAHM LIFT are:

Bolton PCT
Heywood, Middleton amp; Rochdale PCT

In addition two local authorities, Bolton Council and Rochdale MBC will play key roles on the Strategic Partnering Board together with the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS)

The additional Contracting Authorities on the original OJEU advertisement in November 2005 include: -

Pennine Care NHS Trust; Bolton, Salford, amp; Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust; The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust

The NHS LIFT approach involves the local health economy - Developing a strategic plan, incorporating its local primary care service needs and relationships with, for example, intermediate care, and local authority services.

Based on the strategic plan, the NHS has carried out a competitive process to select a private sector partner for the next 20 years. The NHS, PfH and private sector have now set up a joint venture company to manage the NHS lift project. They all own a share of the company and jointly have an interest in its long-term success. The company (BRAHM LIFTCo.) designs, builds and operates the facilities in accordance with the wishes of the local NHS and other stakeholders. The LIFTCo. raises the required capital and is repaid through lease payments from PCTs, GPs and others for the use of the facilities when they are built.

There are three schemes in the first tranche, with a combined capital value of £21.6m. These are Alkrington, Deeplish and Breightmet.

Alkrington Clinic, Hardfield Road, Middleton M24 1PQ. Construction Cost £1.4m. Construction start date May 2007. Construction period 10 months.

This 626m2 scheme will be a modern mixed-use clinic reproviding services from the current clinic, which is to be demolished as part of the development, and integrating a GP branch surgery.

Services to be provided: Branch GP surgery; Minor Operations Room; Nurse lead treatment room; Baby clinics; Podiatry; Counselling services; Audiology; Anticoagulation clinics

Deeplish Primary Care One stop Centre. Maclure Road, Rochdale. OL11 1DN. Construction Cost £9.8m. Construction start date May 2007. Construction period 17 months.

This 4,000m2 scheme will be situated at one of the main gateways to Rochdale, opposite the mainline railway station and adjacent to the proposed metrolink tram route. The site previously housed a redundant school. An adjoining well-used kick pitch is being relocated in the close vicinity as part of the development.

Services to be provided: 4 GP practices and associated primary care provision; Outreach consultant sessions and out patient sessions; Orthoptics, podiatry speech and language therapy; Audiology, physiotherapy; Facilities for mobile imaging units; Local authority and voluntary sector; Dental Suites; Third party pharmacists and opticians

Breightmet PCRC, Breightmet Fold Lane, Breightmet, Bolton. BL2 6NT. Construction Cost - £10.4m Construction start date Aug 2007. Construction period 18 months

The 5,700m2 centre, in a regeneration area of Bolton, will reprovide accommodation for current services in the existing 1970’s building on the site. Additional services and the integration of local GP services.

Services to be provided: 3 GP practices; Provision for mobile imaging unit; Multi-use rooms for new service capacity; Minor surgery suite; Physical therapy suite; Older peoples social work team (local authority social services); Adult Community Mental Health Team (Mental Health Trust); Treatment room; Podiatry; Community nursing services; Speech and language therapy; PCT services and staff; Retail Pharmacy.

Future Schemes  - An additional 18 schemes have been identified in the BRAHM LIFT Strategic Service Development Plan (SSDP) with an indicative capital value of £114m. The timing for these schemes stretches to 2013.

The NHS LIFT approach provides a number of benefits. It has established a long term sustainable relationship focused on delivering primary care investment and services. It will involve the private sector where they can add most value. Crucially, it will provide investment in modern integrated primary care services.