The big shake up of NHS property ownership reaches its conclusion on 1 April 2013. Transfer Schemes will then take effect and property will vest in new owners. Final preparations are now being made for the signing off of Transfer Orders.
The majority of property will be going to NHS PS and will be managed through Local Area Teams. Those responsible for the day to day running of property will remain largely the same. NHS PS will take on some 3000 existing staff to provide a full range of support functions ensuring a seamless transition.
For those in NHS PS accommodation there may be little perceptible change immediately. The promised standard for of MOO (Memorandum of Occupation) that CCGs will be expected to sign up to has now been formulated and is expected to be rolled out over the coming weeks. The MOO will as an interim measure regulate accommodation rights. It is not anticipated that MOOs will be negotiated documents and are intended to ensure that NHS PS covers the cost of provision of accommodation and any services that are provided in connection with that accommodation.
MOOs will shortly be replaced by formal leases and CCGs will probably want to take advice before signing leases.
A further development has been the decision to transfer NHS interests in some 293 LIFT buildings to Community Health Partnerships (CHP). CHP will manage their estate from three regional offices in London Birmingham and Manchester and will work closely with NHS PS.
The balance of PCT properties will be going to providers. This will then complete the most significant transformation in property ownership within the NHS since the reforms of the Health and Community Services Act 1990 which introduced NHS Trusts.