PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
NHS: Property (22 October 2019)

The guidance for National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts on requesting transfer of estate in the ownership of the NHS Property Companies (which includes NHS Property Services is published on the Government website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/requesting-transfers-of-estate-owned-by-nhs-property-companies

Each transfer will need to be justified individually, showing that there will be clinical and patient benefits that will be drawn out of the estate following transfer through increased flexibility of usage of the estate, and that the property is part of the long term plans for the trust and the local sustainability and transformation plan (STP)/integrated care system (ICS).

The trust will not be able to take ownership of a property until all tenants outstanding debts with NHS Property Services have been settled. This should ensure that where properties transfer, the receiving trust has a clean starting point as well as ensuring that NHS Property Services are able to reduce their overall debt position as properties are transferred across.

Applicant NHS trusts and foundation trusts will submit business cases to the Department explaining how a transfer of ownership will benefit the local health system and confirming that the transfer would be on the terms set out in the guidance (and set out above). The Department will then decide whether the transfer should take place.

To date, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - for Newmarket Hospital - and Dorset Healthcare Foundation Trust – for Boscombe and Springbourne Health Centre - have had business cases approved and these properties transferred on 30 September 2019.

Around 20 other trusts have expressed an interest in the policy and are in the process of considering how they want to proceed.