Health on the High Street
Reducing patient waiting lists
Long before the pandemic, high streets across the country have been in a gradual stage of decline with many high street retailers closing stores and leaving behind large empty premises that result in a reduction of footfall for neighbouring businesses, leading to further decline and an unwanted social outcome.
On the other side of cities and towns, and in typically less central locations, hospitals are already full to capacity with little or no means to physically expand, leading to ever-growing waiting lists.
Drawing on our expertise in healthcare, we support healthcare providers looking at Health on the High Street schemes, exploring innovative ways of increasing accessibility to healthcare while providing exceptional spaces for patients and staff.
Get in touchThe Health on the High Street model offers a solution to solve two high-profile social and economical issues that can help alleviate hospital pressures and waiting times whilst bringing footfall and life back to ailing high streets.
How does the Health on the High Street model work?
Travelling miles outside towns on infrequent buses or by car in congested traffic to queue for oversubscribed parking spaces is increasingly becoming the old model for providing healthcare. The Health on the High Street concept – where town centre buildings, such as empty retail units and leisure centres, or even former industrial buildings, are repurposed at convenient locations close to public transport links and/or a walkable distance from homes – is becoming increasingly popular.
Health on the High Street is, however, not a new concept. There are many examples of healthcare services being delivered in shopping centres and disused office spaces up and down the country, but they are often standalone services such as ophthalmology or pathology.
The wider vision of Health on the High Street is to create health hubs that seamlessly integrate multiple healthcare providers from ‘pharmacy first’ to day case elective surgery. Preventative programmes for obesity, smoking cessation and alcohol abuse could be delivered, bringing the community together to enhance support, as well as driving positive benefits for town-centre re-generation.
Benefits to Health on the High Street schemes
- High street locations are often more accessible than main hospital sites with readily available parking and public transport, reducing DNAs.
- Reduces traffic into main hospital sites whilst limiting infection risk and transmission from the community into areas of acute care and vice-versa.
- Removes infrastructure constraints and increases capacity on the main hospital sites for acute care.
- Re-purposing existing property provides a significant cost-saving per square metre, can reduce waste and embodied carbon when compared to new build projects.
- Strong support from local councils as breathes new life into ailing high streets.
- Helps drive an increase in footfall to high street locations providing regeneration within communities and retail establishments.
Bringing healthcare to the community
We have developed our own Health on the High Street model which targets the redevelopment of retail and commercial office space, delivering excellent value for NHS Trusts and healthcare operators.
- Bespoke solutions delivering fully fitted and compliant multi-purpose clinical spaces in high street and accessible locations throughout the UK.
- A fast-track and cost-effective way of upscaling patient capacity, helping to tackling growing RTT waiting times in elective care and diagnostics.
- Our Health on the High Street work also supports the delivery of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).
Moving healthcare into accessible locations
Health Spaces can support healthcare providers to move non-acute healthcare services into more accessible locations away from congested acute hospital sites. Services from health promotion programmes, mental health and pharmacies, to outpatients and diagnostics can be accommodated in repurposed buildings on high streets, improving capacity and patient experience as well as enhancing our local economies and communities.
Our Health on the High Street workflows include:
- Real estate: Forming the property brief with the clinical team and property searches
- Options appraisal: Feasibility studies to assess property options available
- Design & build: Complete turnkey solution to re-purpose the building
Community Diagnostic Centres
Alongside our design and build services, our workflows also support the design and delivery of Community Diagnostic Centres.
To discuss setting up of a Community Diagnostic Centre, get in touch.
Health Spaces recently designed and delivered a new Community Diagnostic Centre at Cannock Chase Hospital, which houses two MRI and two CT scanners. The new CDC means patients in Cannock and South Staffordshire can be scanned closer to home, avoiding travel to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton or Walsall Manor Hospital.
Cannock Chase Case Study
Raising awareness: Health on the High Street initiatives across the UK
Health Spaces host a webinar series which brings NHS Trusts together to share live Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) case studies and wider Health on the High Street initiatives from across the UK. To re-watch webinars and join future events, visit our Learning Hub (our resources include projects which have not been delivered by Health Spaces).
Health Spaces also hosts a dedicated Health on the High Street showcase page on LinkedIn which not only highlights our research into the Health on the High Street concept, but also shares and celebrates Health on the High Street case studies from across the world (including projects not delivered by Health Spaces).
We also publish articles specifically showcasing how ‘high street health’ is becoming a reality. Outlined in our Health on the High Street reports are success stories from across the UK, emerging benefits and lessons learnt from real world examples, plus guidance on how we can take the Health on The High Street concept even further.
Download resources
Health on the High Street in FORTIS magazine
Shopping centres are becoming community health hubs – more services are provided outside of hospitals with spin-off benefits for town centre regeneration and NHS carbon footprint reduction.
But how do you make Health on the High Street happen? In our FORTIS magazine we cover pioneering case studies and innovations from across the UK and beyond to highlight how healthcare providers are exploring Health on the High Street initiatives to bring healthcare closer to the community.
Using retail spaces for Health on the High Street initiatives
This thought-leadership article looks at how to draw up a Health on the High Street local plan, with eight insider tips to consider.
Community Diagnostic Centres – delivering NHS services differently
We explore Community Diagnostic Centres delivering NHS services in the heart of local communities using vacant retail space.
Download FORTIS magazine