Governing Body Meeting. 7 March Enclosure: M Agenda Item: 7.5

Transcription

1 Governing Body Meeting 7 March 2014 Enclosure: M Agenda Item: 7.5 Title: Accommodation Strategy Report Author(s): Chris Bird, Head of Corporate Services Brief purpose statement / main issues: The purpose of this paper provides Governing Body members with an update on HE KSS accommodation. Action required: The Governing Body is asked to endorse this paper and to agree that a letter is prepared to HEE to confirm that the condition for authorisation, being to have a plan, is now met and should be formally removed. Where and when this paper has been considered previously? Not applicable Through creative partnerships we shape and develop a workforce that impacts positively on health and wellbeing for all We are the Local Education and Training Board for Kent, Surrey and Sussex Developing people for health and healthcare

2 HE KSS Accommodation Strategy Update 1. Introduction One of the conditions of authorisation for HE KSS remains the relocation of our London Bridge office to one within our geographical area. In accordance with a strategy agreed by the HE KSS Governing Body, our long term plan remains to acquire suitable accommodation which will house all HE KSS staff on a single site, in the Crawley/Three bridges area. This area was chosen for the sound business reasons; namely this was considered to be the most cost effective option, at a location which is accessible for the majority of our employees and partner organisations 2. Background The Department of Health requirement is that where possible NHS and Arm s Length Bodies, source our property from the estate which is already held (but vacant) within the public sector. This can be achieved through using either NHS Property Services, for NHS property, or from e-pims which is the central database of Government Central Civil Estate properties and land. 3. Current Position The current position and progress to date is as follows: Alpha House (London) was vacated in December 2013 and staff have since been relocated to the Bermondsey Street office. This action will release a recurrent annual savings of 300K. Some staff from the Bermondsey Street office have moved to the Crawley office as part of the integration programme and to create enough space at the reduced locations. The central HE KSS team is currently based at Crawley Hospital; security of tenure has been extended from 31/3/14 until September The Bermondsey Street office is managed through a lease and the first break point within the lease is September All avenues have been explored, for example breaking the lease, finding alternative tenants, but at this stage there are no obvious solutions for this space. Tunbridge Wells and Haywards Health remain sites for Library services and the Pharmacy team. Both these arrangements can be terminated quickly if alternative accommodation can be acquired. Page 2 of 5

3 4. Future accommodation 4.1 Initial searches of available property, with the desired area and already held within the public estate, have indicated that there is no suitable property available. 4.2 In addition to the lack of suitable accommodation our initial discussions with NHS Propco have indicated that the Department of Health would be unlikely to support the signing of a second lease for essentially the same group of staff and therefore alternative solutions are required. 4.3 Following extensive preliminary discussions with NHS Propco, which have been very positive, there is a strong possibility that we will be supported to negotiate a longer period of time (two to three years) for HE KSS to remain at Crawley Hospital and that additional space will be made available to enable us to move staff from London Bridge to Crawley in line with our original timetable of September This approach would give us several benefits, as detailed below; It will ensure that staff that are currently based at Crawley have security of tenure; We will be able to move more staff from the London office to our main office in Crawley in line with our original timetable, thereby ensuring that we can move forward with phase 2 of our integration programme without delay; We believe that this will be a cost effective option, the cost of space at Crawley Hospital is currently cheaper than securing a new lease for a separate building. It also supports the NHS system within our region as it provides a possible solution for some empty space ahead of commissioners decisions about the longer term strategic use of that space; The movement of staff from London Bridge this financial year ensures the additional savings required to meet running costs from areas such as inner London weighting and excess travel are delivered; If we remain at Crawley Hospital but are unable to do so beyond the period of extension, NHS Property Services who manage the Crawley site will have an obligation to support us in finding alternative suitable accommodation. 5. Next Steps 5.1 There is a requirement to complete a business case to support this proposal and to have that agreed by HEE and the Department of Health. This business case will determine the exact numbers of staff and will also provide the estates team with the opportunity to put together a detailed accommodation requirement document that is being prepared for NHS Property services. 5.2 Staff were told at the staff meetings on 13 th and 14 th February about the proposed move to Crawley Hospital as a solution to our accommodation issues. Further work will now begin in relation to planning for formal consultation, working on the assumption of a September move date. HEE are supportive of this approach and will continue to support HE KSS. Page 3 of 5

4 5.3 The timeline below (Appendix A) represents a first draft of the proposed time scales for this project. This draft will still need to be scrutinised and ratified by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). There are still some areas that need to be finalised e.g. the occupation of the ground floor however, milestones have been included in relation to allocation of area, completion of contracts, decoration/installation and consultation with staff to meet the proposed deadline of September Recommendation The Governing Body is asked to endorse the above approach and to agree that a letter is prepared for HEE to confirm that the condition for authorisation, being to have a plan, is now met and should be formally removed. Chris Bird Head of Corporate Services Health Education Kent Surrey and Sussex 19 February 2014 Page 4 of 5

5 Appendix A