With too little capital funding available, how can the NHS ensure it gets the most value out of its investment in infrastructure and equipment? A recent HFMA roundtable, in partnership with Darwin Group, made some suggestions.

There is not enough capital to meet the NHS’s needs. That is simply a fact. The cost of backlog maintenance stands at more than £11bn and keeps growing. And the New Hospital Programme may be promising 40 new hospitals by 2030, but it hardly scratches the surface in terms of rejuvenating NHS infrastructure. So is it time to rethink how the NHS gets the best value from its estate?

This was the question discussed at a recent HFMA roundtable, in partnership with healthcare construction specialist Darwin Group. The assembled finance and estates managers focused their discussions on four areas. How can the service make the most of the limited resources to which it has access? Are there ways to speed up and improve the whole capital process? How does investment in digital and environmental programmes fit with more general bricks-and-mortar and equipment spending? And how does the NHS prioritise its capital investment across whole systems so that it funds the projects that will make the most difference?