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Published: 12 July 2019 in Help & Advice
Can Modular Buildings Help The NHS?
The free public health service in the UK is one of the most fundamental features of our country, with many around the world attributing it to our tiny isle. The NHS is one of only a handful of examples across the globe which is free at the point of need. It is also, ironically, operating under a vast weight of pressures and challenges, which has brought our health service more directly into the public eye.
One of the primary pressures that our healthcare faces is the need for beds and facilities, and with a rising population, this is becoming an unending struggle. Although it may not be able to solve all of the NHS’s issues, off-site construction does offer a unique range of benefits, and could be considered a wider solution for the need for space. In this blog we explore this topic alongside our extensive range of working with healthcare clients.
Why is the NHS under pressure?
The NHS is a common talking point for our nation’s media, and so many of the pressures it is under remain common knowledge. When we talk about pressure, we mean the various factors that have cause strain on the resources of our healthcare, be that directly or indirectly. The primary focus of such pressures remains rooted in our modern lifestyles in which people are typically living longer as populations rise simultaneously. With more people to care for, the NHS needs more beds and facilities to be able to help those in need. With an aging population, the NHS needs to provide a healthcare service to people for longer than was once necessary.
The second focal point of pressure the NHS faces, concerns the medicine itself. People are living longer because they are more aware of disease and the medicine they can access is better and more advanced. Advancements in medicine is fantastic in the sense of saving more lives, but also results in more expensive treatments overall. The NHS also has to consider the change in the healthcare needs of the population. Today, these needs concern obesity and diabetes, among others.
All healthcare services will face similar pressures, but for one that is publicly funded, the financial strain that these pressures cause result in a weakened health service. It results in more local services being closed and an increased reliance on privatised services. The trouble is to create a more cost-effective healthcare model.
How can off-site construction provide support?
We’re not healthcare specialists, and we can’t offer a solution which will single-handily save the NHS. But what we are experts in is use of off-site construction techniques; methods we have mastered with over 40 years of experience in the industry. So when our healthcare service cries out that it needs more affordable, specialised spaces for both hospitals and local GPs, we may just be able to provide an answer.
Off-site construction offers a cost-effective expansion solution for healthcare trusts in the market for small local projects, all the way through to larger hospital unit expansions. We construct all of our buildings in our ISO-approved workshop in St Helens, where our expert team can pore over every detail of their buildings without being hindered by the weather. Our controlled environment means that buildings are produced at a much faster rate, and at a cheaper overall cost. Existing healthcare buildings remain relatively undisturbed, as we lay the foundation work whilst the building is being constructed off-site, and then installed in a matter of days after it has been delivered.
The NHS trust in question therefore receives a completely bespoke building, at a fraction of the time and cost. Our team at Springfield have extensive experience in such projects and can offer a complete, turnkey service in producing GP surgeries, clinics pharmacies, waiting rooms, to name a few.
If you would like to find out more about the truly bespoke buildings that we offer healthcare trusts and businesses, take a look at our website, and if you would like to have a chat with our expert team you can give them a call on 01744 851958 or fill in a contact form.
