Primary Care Estates
The South East Region Primary Care Estates Programme leads a strong and well established partnership approach with key stakeholders across the region.
The programme seeks to support regional areas with issues relating to primary care estates which will help enable the transformation of primary care with; new models of care, delivering better outcomes to patients, and provide best value for money.
The NHS (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions – are how payments should be calculated and made to general practice contractors in respect of premises costs. NHS (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In July 2024 NHS England published the Primary Care Capital Grants Policy, which outlines the process for GP contractors to obtain capital grants for premises developments under the NHS (GMS – Premises Costs) Directions. NHS England » Primary care capital grants policy.
The South East region supports Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) with the various estates programmes listed below:
- Primary Care Data Gathering (PCDG) – The Primary Care Data Gathering Programme is a national initiative delivered by Community Health Partnerships (CHP) on behalf of NHS England. The programme has established a consistent baseline of data for every NHS reimbursed GP practice across England, with outputs visually displayed and accessible to ICBs and PCNs via SHAPE (Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation). You can read more on the CHP webpage; Primary care data gathering programme – Community Health Partnerships
- PCN Estates Toolkit – Community Health Partnerships worked with the National Association of Primary Care(NAPC) on behalf of NHS England, to produce a Primary Care Network (PCN) Estates Toolkit to provide PCNs with a flexible framework and support process for producing robust primary care investment plans with clear priorities that align to wider ICB strategies. You can read more on the CHP webpage; Primary Care Network Estates toolkit – Community Health Partnerships
- Infrastructure Strategies – Guidance to systems for developing an infrastructure strategy was released in March 2024 and can be found here; NHS England » Guidance on developing a 10-year infrastructure strategy
The benefits of improved primary care estates:
For patients:
- improved access to care as new or improved buildings allow for expanded services closer to where people live, especially in under-served or growing communities
- better-designed spaces can improve accessibility for patients with disabilities, the elderly, and those with mobility issues.
- enhanced patient experience with modern, welcoming environments create a more comfortable and dignified experience for patients
- expanded services on-site as upgraded estates often support co-located services like mental health, physiotherapy, diagnostics, and pharmacy — making it easier for patients to access multiple services in one visit
- greater capacity as larger and better-utilised premises help practices register more patients, accommodate more clinicians, and run more clinics — improving access and reducing delays
- supports modern models of care as new or improved estate support digital infrastructure, group consultations, multi-disciplinary teams, and future growth, making care more proactive and holistic
For practices:
- improved capacity and space which allows for more appointments, new services, and flexibility to adapt to changing demand
- attracting and retaining staff as new or improved premises are more appealing to new recruits and improve working conditions for existing staff — aiding morale, retention, and recruitment
- integration and collaboration as new or improved estate often support co-location with other services (e.g., mental health, community care, social care), enabling better partnership working and more joined-up care
- futureproofing as new or improved estates are built to accommodate digital infrastructure, population growth, and evolving models of care — helping practices stay resilient in the long term
- efficiency and workflow, as new or improved layouts reduce inefficiencies, improve patient flow, and support more effective use of time and resources (e.g., shared admin spaces or centralised hubs)
Case study resources