Driving an ambitious neighbourhood programme
The South Yorkshire Primary Care Capital Programme is a unique and highly ambitious collaborative endeavour to deliver transformational change in community health across the region.
The project
Comprising twelve projects ranging from refurbishments to large new-build health centres, the programme delivers at a scale and complexity not previously seen in primary care. From securing £57.4m of funding, through to business case approval and agreements with local authority partners, a programme approach was essential to getting these schemes over the line to support left shift and meet the needs of the local population.
The solution
Sewell Advisory established and ran the programme management office (PMO), which coordinated the overall programme business case, gateway reviews and governance arrangements, as well as ongoing assessments of value for money, financial oversight and monitoring. This ensured the projects had a credible timetable and realistic route to delivery, and were financially sustainable, affordable and accountable.
Seven projects were delivered through rarely-used Section 2 agreements which bring together the NHS and Local Authority stakeholders in a project. These are highly complex, needing all partners to work collectively towards risk identification, mitigation and acceptance and ensure sustainable operating models for the future.
The result
The programme has successfully delivered five refurbishment and extension projects, repurposing poorly used, existing NHS estate, improving utilisation, adding 600m² of clinical space and increasing registered patient capacity by 5,350.
One new build scheme is complete, with six more under construction, planned to deliver capacity for 43,000 new registered patients, as well as improving clinical facilities and widening the service offer to their existing patients.
The programme went on to be recognised at the 2026 HSJ Partnership Awards, winning Healthcare Infrastructure Project of the Year.
"The programme has been an exceptional example of collaborative working, delivering £54m of strategic investment across the region. Stakeholder engagement was embedded throughout, ensuring developments met real needs."
Managing capital programmes
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