NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and Kajima Community, the technology company which specialises in supporting public sector bodies in optimising the use of their facilities and generating additional revenue, have launched a new, revamped website that will streamline the finding and booking of clinical and non-clinical space across the NHS estate.
Visit NHS Open Space here: https://www.openspace.nhs.uk/
The NHS Open Space website, run by NHSPS, offers the whole of the health service (and beyond) a one-system and self-service solution to book and pay for rooms via a digital platform. It encompasses on-site support with facilities management and customer service best-practice, which seeks to standardise room types and specifications. The programme currently spans 100 sites, with a further 45 sites available in August 2021.
The booking platform powering the programme was developed by Kajima Community with the new, revamped version updated based on feedback from NHS Property Services’ customers that used the service during its pilot phase that was launched in 2019. The new website streamlines and makes more intuitive the finding and booking process by enabling the use of registered devices including laptops, tablets and mobiles. It gives both commissioned and third-party services more transparency, flexibility and efficiency, helping them to reach new patients and customers, and pay only for the time and space they need.
The premise of NHS Open Space is to use NHS buildings to maximise the range of health and wellbeing services offered to communities, using existing NHS centres instead of requiring expensive external space. It forms part of the NHS’s ongoing work to offer a greater number of services in local communities, reducing the pressure on large hospitals and making life easier for patients.
Kajima Community helps public sector venues connect with their communities through lettings software and a range of lettings services that are designed to help market facilities available to hire and generate profits for venues.
Chris Smith, Head of Kajima Community, commented: “The cost savings and additional revenue that can be generated for reinvesting into front line services through better facilities management can be substantial.
“By streamlining the finding and booking of NHS space, this partnership between Kajima Community and NHSPS also plays a part in supporting the health service to continue to meet the challenges of Covid-19, helping ensure that resources are managed effectively for the benefit of patients.”
Christopher King, Principal Strategic Asset Manager at NHS Property Services, commented: “The potential for NHS Open Space to transform the NHS estate has become ever more apparent during COVID-19, as services seek flexibility and visibility over how space is used. The intuitive booking system means that users only pay for the time and space they need, which could provide much-needed relief on finances for independent and small businesses in the midst of the pandemic. It also makes better use of the NHS estate, driving money back into the health service at a critical time.
“I’m excited to see NHS Open Space grow and evolve in the coming year, with plans to expand rapidly across the NHS Property Services portfolio in 2021.”
