Efforts to deliver one of the government’s major NHS priorities – to shift more care into the community – will need to be boosted by targeted capital investment in buildings, facilities, and equipment for community providers, a new survey of senior health leaders, undertaken by the Community Network, hosted by the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, suggests.
Nearly nine in 10 community provider leaders say they don’t have access to the capital funding they need, and that this is impeding their efforts to improve productivity, and will make it harder to achieve the government’s ambitions to deliver more care out of hospitals, and instead in the community.
The NHS Confederation says capital investment in the NHS has ‘mainly prioritised hospitals’, with little going towards community health providers ‘that provide vital services’ including district nursing, health visiting, child health, and other services. These community services are responsible for 13 per cent of all daily NHS activity, and represent one in five NHS workers.
The survey by the Community Network found that:
- More than four in five respondents (86 per cent) said buildings and facilities were a barrier to greater productivity.
- Two in three providers (66 per cent) said digital systems were a priority for investment to boost productivity
- Two in three (66% per cent) said that the state of community facilities ‘isn’t improving patients’ experiences’.
- Nearly nine in ten (88 per cent) said they couldn’t secure adequate capital funding.
Siobhan Melia, Community Network Chair, and Chief Executive of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (pictured), said: “Community providers will play a central role in delivering the government’s commitment to shifting more care closer to home. For it to be a success, community providers need essential capital funding to scale up delivery and collaborate with system partners in line with the government’s aim. National leaders need to prioritise capital investment in technology and estates for community health services. Investing today will bring savings tomorrow and a better experience for patients and their families.”
