You said, we did
How we've acted on your feedback
From making more routine information available on Connect, your self-service platform, to sharing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Centres and lease management. We've delivered what you asked for. We're also raising the bar on our cleaning standards and communicating more proactively about site maintenance. And much more - all shaped by your feedback.
You'd like to self-serve more
We made significant improvements to our self-service customer portal, Connect, so you can do more things online, more easily.
What was once mainly a platform for reporting and tracking maintenance issues, queries and complaints is now becoming a one-stop shop for accessing routine information on demand. Having 24/7 access to Connect saves you time and makes it easier to work with us.
You can now use Connect to:
View and download statutory compliance certificates for your properties
View and download floorplans
See unit occupancy details and vacant space
View and download billing information including invoices and the Annual Budget Schedule (ABS)
Check gritting schedules so you know when your site will be gritted
Providing direct access to this information has removed a significant proportion of routine helpdesk requests. While also reducing customer effort and freeing up time for our Customer Service Centre colleagues to focus on more complex issues.
Learn more about Connect
Get access to Connect
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Our Relationship Partners and digital teams ran dedicated training sessions to help you use Connect and make the most of its features. According to our survey feedback, this improved visibility and helped you feel more confident in self-serving. As a result, more of you are using Connect, and reporting higher levels of satisfaction compared to non-users. See results here.
This year, we’re making further improvements that’ll allow you to:
View and download Annual Reconciliation Reports (ARRs)
Raise occupancy change notices to easily inform us of changes
Receive In-app notifications and alerts for status updates
You need
support delivering Neighbourhood Health Centres
We launched a national report on Making Neighbourhood Health Centres a Reality. This includes clear recommendations and practical guidance to help you adapt the NHS estate for integrated, community‑based care. To turn this into something you can apply practically, we also created a four‑step handbook that shows how we can support you to assess, plan, deliver, learn and maintain for Neighbourhood Health Centres. It gives you a simple, structured route to understanding local need and shaping estate solutions in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
As we’ve been commissioned to deliver 11 Neighbourhood Health Centres in the first national wave, we’ll continue bringing live programme insight and practical expertise to better support you.
Download handbook
Download report
You need expert help to better understand the lease process and get more value from it
Through our lease advisory services, we spotted opportunities for savings and managed difficult negotiations to help you save costs and improve flexibility across your estate. This work delivered £14m in savings for the health system last year, contributing to the £186.4m of total value we unlocked for the NHS.
We also shared guidance and top tips on exiting costly leases and managing dilapidations to help you follow best practice. As we worked more closely with ICBs, we were asked to help with the wider non-NHSPS estate, which led to savings of £11m.
A testament to our lease advisory efforts, the team is a proud finalist for the Property Week awards.
The support, experience and expertise that the lease advisory team provide to GP practice teams who do not ordinarily deal with leases in their day-to-day business is invaluable. Lease negotiations are a specialist area. Our lease negotiations have not been straight forward. With the support of the lease advisory team, we feel more confident that our negotiations can achieve the best outcome for the practice partners and the ICB.
Lisa Fox, GP Practice Manager, Borough Practice, Middlesbrough
The NHSPS lease advisory team have been a vital resource for us. They understand the sector and have been incredibly successful in securing capital investment through the negotiation of lease events, which supports much needed refurbishment in the estate. Not only do they deliver cash releasing benefits, but they also release pressure from greatly overburdened practices, to enable them to deliver care, which is absolutely critical to the NHS.
Graeme Earl, Strategic Head of Commissioning Estates and Premises, NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB
We should improve accessibility and patient wellbeing in your spaces
Last year, we delivered 20 new social prescribing hubs, bringing the total to 133 across the estate. These indoor and outdoor spaces allow non-clinical services to improve holistic wellbeing and help
ease pressure on primary care. We also completed 39 accessibility improvements to create more inclusive environments for patients, colleagues and visitors.
Together, our social prescribing, green space and accessibility initiatives have supported over 127,000 patients. 95% of our discretionary investment was targeted towards areas of higher deprivation to help reduce health inequalities.
You wanted more proactive communication about site maintenance
We began sending proactive notification emails to all customers signed up for our gritting service. We also made gritting schedules available on Connect so you know exactly when your site will be treated. These timely updates give you reassurance about safe access during severe weather and reduce the need for follow‑up queries.
You’re not always happy with third-party contractors compared to NHSPS’ in-house services
We strengthened how we manage suppliers to improve the quality and consistency of services you receive. We introduced a clearer escalation process so issues are spotted and resolved faster, reducing disruption on site.
We now review supplier performance
regularly and track progress against agreed targets. When standards aren’t met, we put tailored improvement plans in place with clear actions and timelines. This closer oversight is helping drive accountability, speed up response times and raise service standards.
We’ll continue to work closely with suppliers to address issues quickly, monitor performance and drive improvements to the service you receive.
We needed to improve
our cleaning standards
and checks to create
better spaces
for patients
We’re improving quality checks by encouraging cleaning teams from one site to audit another site’s cleaning. This brings fresh eyes and greater consistency across
locations. We’re also inviting customers to participate in cleaning audits so expectations are met and feedback is acted on quickly.
Cross‑location audits haven’t always delivered the improvements we expected. We’ll keep reviewing the process and your feedback next year.
You wanted to improve how space is used across the estate, reducing vacant and under‑used spaces
We conducted more space utilisation studies to better understand how space is used across the estate. We have 8,000 sensors across 437 properties giving us space usage data and helping drive improvements. Last year, we eliminated 33,906 sqm of vacant space so that more of the estate
is used to deliver patient care. By selling surplus and unused sites, we're generating funds for reinvestment in priority healthcare services.
We’re working on bringing additional surplus space to market, creating opportunities for commercial healthcare providers to operate from established NHS locations. This will expand the range of services patients can access while reducing costs for the NHS.
The Open Space booking platform should feature clearer room photos, better‑quality furniture
and more rooms in
the right locations
We expanded availability by onboarding 27 new rooms across 7 properties, bringing our NHS Open Space rooms total to 1,500 across 330 sites. We focused on high
demand and underserved areas to improve access for patients. We also completed a furniture refresh programme in May 2026; 51 rooms in over 16 properties have had furniture reviewed and replaced.
A photo refresh programme is planned for June 2026, covering 33 properties and 210 rooms. This will make sure room images better reflect the spaces.
You wanted a more consistent approach to occupancy inspections to better track who was in our buildings
From June 2026, we’re introducing quarterly occupancy inspections with dedicated time for on‑site checks. These inspections will use a standard checklist, making it easier to track, record
and manage actions across buildings. For customers, occupancy inspections will help make sure information remains accurate and up to date. While allowing us to spot any changes in how spaces are used sooner, so we can bill correctly.
It can be difficult to navigate NHSPS and know the right contact for support
For customers who need extra support, we’ve assigned a single Relationship Partner (RP) as a clear point of contact. This makes communication easier as our RPs help customers quickly access the right expertise. They bring in the specialist teams needed to resolve issues and reduce the effort needed to get support.
