Last week we commented on proposals for a new national property company (“PropCo”) to be set up to manage the primary care trust (PCT) estate. The Secretary of State for Health has now confirmed the details.

PropCo is to be a government-owned limited company, NHS Property Services Limited. It will be wholly owned by the Department of Health and its role will be to own and manage that part of the PCT estate not required by community care providers. Property that is needed for clinical services, and mainly occupied by providers for that purpose, will be transferred to them. Support for the PCT estate will continue to be provided through existing contractual arrangements in place with service providers that already deliver and maintain NHS properties.

Now that the principle of a single management company for the estate has been established, there is real opportunity for structured management of the entire portfolio and long called for clarity on the future of the estate.

Posted by Stewart Gregory, specialising in: property law, particularly its application within the healthcare sector; advises the commercial and residential sector on site acquisitions and completed development disposals.

Stewart Gregory
0115 976 6299
sgregory@brownejacobson.com