Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (DCH) and Interserve Prime (IP) have announced a new joint venture (JV) partnership to enable the strategic transformation of the Dorchester hospital estate.
The 10-year agreement will see IP work with the trust to develop and deliver its estate strategy and, in line with Dorset’s Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), support its vision to be at the heart of an integrated, patient-centred health and care system.
Dorset is one of eight areas nationally leading the way to become an Accountable Care System, an ‘evolved’ version of an STP which will integrate care at a local level.
The partnership will design, build and secure finance for new facilities required by DCH, as well as providing the trust with a spectrum of estates and support services. It will also support DCH to realise a number of commercial opportunities within its estate, which will, in turn, enable the trust to generate additional income to help deliver its wider healthcare strategy.
The partnership’s immediate focus will be the development of a site-wide masterplan in consultation with health and care system partners and local stakeholders.
This partnership will help us to retain and maximise the value of our estate and develop the site in line with the wider health and care system plans in Dorset
The masterplan will enable the trust to develop new facilities, deliver its clinical aspirations, and create a more-welcoming environment for patients, visitors and staff.
Nick Johnson, director of strategy and business development at DCH, said: “This partnership will help us to retain and maximise the value of our estate and develop the site in line with the wider health and care system plans in Dorset and we are looking forward to working with Interserve Prime.”
IP is a joint venture between international support services and construction group, Interserve, and healthcare property company, Prime.
It has a strong track record in the acute sector, and the 10-year deal with DCH is the company’s third Strategic Estates Partnership, following joint ventures with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Leighton Chumbley, director at Interserve Prime, said: “We are very excited to have been appointed to work with Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on its future estate plans.
“Through our combined development and commercial expertise, we are looking forward to supporting the trust in achieving its long and short-term objectives through the strategic transformation of the hospital estate.”