As the NHS continues its long-term shift toward preventative healthcare, the construction industry can play a vital enabling role in shaping environments that promote early intervention, integrated care, and better outcomes. This aligns with the NHS’s 10-Year Plan, which outlines three strategic priorities:
- focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.
- making better use of technology.
- moving care from hospitals to communities.
Preventing sickness
Prevention covers multiple areas in helping people to manage their healthcare more effectively. It’s underpinned by broader societal factors, such as income, housing, education, diet, exercise, and environment — all of which shape long-term health outcomes. Early intervention through early diagnostics or understanding a patient’s pathway to cure is — unless it is an urgent issue, generally first dealt with through primary care.
Accessible and well-designed care environments are fundamental to early diagnosis, chronic disease management, and recovery. Timely access to primary care remains the first line of defence against escalation into what can be complex, high-cost acute services.
Technology enhances access, continuity, and quality of care — from remote consultations and e-prescriptions to electronic patient records. This empowers patients and staff to manage healthcare through accessible electronic devices. Technology will also assist NHS staff in delivering better care by having access to the information they need quickly, allowing them to spend more time with the patient for diagnosis and support. It will also improve efficiency in transferring patients between different NHS departments, improving productivity across the service, and the speed of recovery for the patient.
Moving care from hospitals to communities
Major acute hospitals are critical to our healthcare system, but some have been in the headlines for long waiting times. For these facilities to keep functioning productively and deal with the people who need their services, they require the support of effective community services.
Community-based services — GPs, district nursing, mental health teams, physiotherapy, dentistry, and social care — play a crucial role in prevention, early diagnosis, and post-hospital care. Community care is the foundation of the UK healthcare system. It is the frontline in keeping people well and healthy, and identifying illnesses early, which is fundamental to prevention.
Integrated Care Centres are key to this shift. Co-locating services in accessible community settings reduces strain on hospitals, and ensures faster, more joined-up patient journeys. Without this engagement, the individual may develop chronic conditions or multiple illnesses, which can be more difficult to diagnose and cure. This is both costly in terms of the long-term wellbeing of the individual, but also financially for the NHS.
Last year’s report based on the findings of Lord Darzi’s Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England included comments such as ‘the NHS budget is not being spent where it should be — too great a share is being spent in hospitals, too little in the community, and productivity is low’, and said there is ‘a need to embrace new multidisciplinary models of care that bring together primary, community, and mental health services’.
Construction’s role in healthcare transformation
At Tilbury Douglas, we believe the built environment must evolve in partnership with these healthcare priorities. We are committed to:
- Designing and delivering Integrated Care Centres that support joined-up care.
- Repurposing underused assets to bring health services closer to communities.
- Embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles to support wellbeing, sustainability, and economic inclusion.
We understand the social and economic benefits of creating inspiring and functional buildings for NHS and social care delivery, providing the high-quality environments which support the NHS workforce in efficient and fit-for-purpose buildings to allow the behavioural shift in healthcare delivery which is best suited to the population.
Former council office converted
Our South Walks House project in Dorchester is a clear example. By converting a former council office into a modern health centre in a high street location, we helped shift routine care away from the acute hospital, improving access for patients and staff through strong transport links and centralised services.
Tilbury Douglas is committed to its ESG strategy, and our projects contribute to community wellbeing, support local economies, and promote social equity, enhancing the overall societal value, and assisting with improving the influences which directly affect individuals’ wellbeing and healthcare.
As the government looks to support people back into employment, an accessible and productive NHS will assist those returning to work or looking to start a career. The construction sector is a great place to seek opportunities, and is very supportive in terms of training, development, and diversity and inclusion initiatives across the industry. Tilbury Douglas’s ‘Better Together’ — the name for all of our diversity and inclusion initiatives across the business — demonstrates our commitment to building a culture based on ‘FREDIE’ (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement) values.
As health needs become more complex, and communities demand more localised, equitable access, construction has a vital role to play. By delivering flexible, accessible, and technology-ready infrastructure, we can support the NHS in realising its preventative vision, and help to improve outcomes for individuals while easing the long-term financial burden on the system.