Our client, the South East London Sustainable Transformation Programme (SEL STP), was tasked with driving transformational change across the local health economy. This included implementing Local Care Networks (LCNs) and delivering new or improved integrated pathways through strategically located community hubs and sub-hubs.

These hubs are designed to host extended, integrated services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams, located close to where people live. Crucially, they must operate at scale while remaining financially sustainable. Even as the system transitions toward a Neighbourhood model, the hub approach remains central to achieving these goals.

The estate strategy focused on creating a flexible property base that provides the right capacity in the right locations, while ensuring service delivery is standardised regardless of provider or setting. To achieve this, SEL STP needed to make best use of its core primary care and trust estate.

We were commissioned to assess the utilisation of 10 properties. Instead of relying on traditional manual methods, we introduced sensor technology to capture accurate, real-time data, 24/7.

The study required careful communication with practices to enable smooth installation of the sensors. Data was collected over one month, after which we analysed utilisation by space type (clinical, administrative, support, etc.), occupier, and by day and time. The findings revealed opportunities for increased appointment availability and highlighted the financial implications for the Integrated Care System (ICS).

Detailed reports were produced for each property, with our conclusions presented to ICS partners to support decision-making on estate optimisation.