Bevan Brittan Helps ‘LIFT’ The NHS
Bevan Brittan has advised Newham PCT on a £4.9 million NHS
Local Improvement Finance Initiative (LIFT) scheme. This was
officially opened by Health Secretary John Reid in Newham,
East London.
Newham was part of the first wave of LIFT initiatives
announced by the Department of Health in February 2001 and
was the first scheme to reach financial closure in May 2003.
The Church Road Medical Centre is part of a new generation
of ‘super surgeries’ designed to modernise the provision of
primary healthcare services.
The first wave LIFT projects focused on the most deprived
inner city areas and the centre in Newham offers patients a
range of healthcare services traditionally only available in
hospitals. The facilities include access to GPs, health
visitors, dentists and a number of services including a
cardiological clinic, X-Ray facilities and pharmacy. More
new surgeries from the first wave are expected to open in
the New Year.
The opening of Newham demonstrates the progress of LIFT.
Over 30 LIFT schemes have now reached financial closure and
building work has started. The success of the initiative has
been further reinforced by the recent announcement from the
Department of Health of nine new schemes which make up the
fourth wave of LIFT.
LIFT aims to deliver 500 new ‘one-stop’ centres and the
refurbishment or replacement of 3000 doctor’s surgeries with
an estimated injection of £1 billion into the primary care
estate. The project also ensures the management of the
facilities for years to come.
So far, LIFT has successfully managed to overcome many of
the problems of conventional PFI projects. Most importantly,
it has helped introduce a true partnership between the
public and private sector with the establishment of the
joint venture "Liftco". These partnerships see the private
sector partner taking the majority of the stake and
Partnerships for Health and key stakeholders taking the
remainder.
The management and complexities of LIFT agreements has meant
that a few firms have become specialists in the field and
are leading the way on advising on these projects. Bevan
Brittan, is one such firm and since being appointed by
Partnerships UK in 2001, has been instrumental in setting up
the framework for LIFT standard documentation. The firm also
advised on the first five pilot LIFT schemes. In total,
acting for both public and private sector, Bevan Brittan has
advised on 19 of the 42 schemes to date of which 16 have
closed so far.
Health Division partner, Mark Calverley, who leads the LIFT
projects team commented: “The opening of Newham is great
news. It is good to see a project that has involved many
months of work come to fruition. We are involved in a large
number of the schemes and considering the size and
complexities of the initiative, it is being delivered on a
relatively quick timescale.
LIFT is a unique project in the PFI arena as it is a true
joint venture. With many of the LiftCo’s operating at a
local level, local companies can be truly involved in the
regeneration of their community. LIFT is providing a
solution to a legacy of underinvestment in the primary care
estate and it has worked so effectively to date that it is
being replicated and applied to other areas outside of
health.”
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