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Sutton Harbour Group consortium to deliver multi-million pound health projects in Cumbria
7 October 2009
A consortium part-owned by the Sutton Harbour Group has been selected to deliver a multi-million pound programme of health projects across Cumbria in what is a UK first.
NHS Cumbria has appointed the consortium to form a Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) company to finance and redevelop community hospitals and a range of other health facilities.
The Consortium will assist in delivering an initial pipeline of projects worth around £85 million over the first six years of the 20-year partnership.
Cumbria is the first area in England to come forward under the Government’s ‘Express LIFT’ procurement framework. The Sutton Harbour consortium is one of just seven private sector partners chosen from a shortlist of 14 bidders by the Department of Health to work under the new framework.
The LIFT programme enables primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities to work together with the private sector to speed up the procurement and delivery of new primary healthcare facilities. It was first launched in 2001 and has seen 48 LIFT companies established. Express LIFT aims to cover the rest of the country.
Nigel Godefroy, chief executive of the Sutton Harbour Group, said: “This is a real coup for the Sutton Harbour Group because this is the first project in the country to come forward under the Express LIFT programme and our consortium has won it. And with over 60 primary care trusts across the country yet to get involved in LIFT we think this augurs well for the future.”
The Cumbria selection follows the Sutton Harbour Group’s successful involvement in the Plymouth LIFT scheme, which has delivered £30 million of primary healthcare facilities in the city since it was established in 2004, including new GP and community health facilities at Cattedown, Mount Gould and Ernesettle.
The consortium, which is called Express LIFT Investments Limited and in which the Sutton Harbour Group has a 40% stake, will now work with NHS Cumbria to finalise plans and manage the re-build of Cumbria’s community hospitals as part of a drive to provide more health services closer to where people live.
It will also allow a range of other facilities to be procured, from small GP practices to one-stop health centres.
Maggie Chadwick, chair of NHS Cumbria, said: “We are delighted to have appointed our LIFT Partner. Their involvement will bring extensive experience in delivering large infrastructure schemes for the NHS, and we look forward to accelerating our plans to re-develop our community hospitals in the most cost effective way”.
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