A future estate in good SHAPE

Which “informs and supports the strategic planning of services and healthcare assets” – and explains how it is regularly updated to reflect new trends and needs against a fast-changing healthcare backdrop.

There is no doubt that the NHS faces a challenging agenda with the transformation of arrangements for public health, the shift to clinician-led commissioning, and the overall emphasis on Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention (QIPP). These themes will shape the future of healthcare delivery in the UK. Despite being just over 12 months old, the Coalition Government’s proposals have generated much debate. Pausing, listening, and reflecting, have led to several changes, alterations, and subtle deviations, from the original proposal; however one thing remains clear: rather than freeing the NHS from control, what is being proposed is more of a control shift, which will see more emphasis on quality, innovation, and prevention, and more health services delivered in local settings while meeting requirements for greater efficiency and productivity. In view of the (Government’s) ambition to deliver health services more efficiently and effectively, and to take decisions closer to the patients (and others) that will be affected by these decisions, the Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation (SHAPE) application has recently been redeveloped to support clinical commissioning, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and the drive for efficiency. The Department of Health continues to fund and sponsor SHAPE, and encourages its use to support strategic planning and decision-making.

A ‘mature application’