Transforming health and care for the community and the NHS workforce

Leighton Chumbley, Chief Executive, Prime; Keith Willis, Associate Architect, CSM Architects; Hannah Cashmore, Director, Hyve by Prime; Akachukwu Agbo, Radiographer, Dorset County Hospital

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, specialist health and care property developer Prime enables health and care providers to make the most of their spaces so patients can experience better care. What Prime does isn’t just about constructing buildings, it’s about reshaping environments to foster wellbeing. Prime’s commitment extends beyond the structures it creates; it delves into the heart of the communities served, the sustainability of buildings, the welfare of people and the strength of partnerships. At Prime, the motivation is clear: to be more than developers, but enablers of positive change.

Every person at Prime shares a common motivation: the genuine desire to create positive change. This drive is not just about personal success or corporate gain. It’s about making a meaningful impact on the lives of those who depend on crucial healthcare services. In choosing to work for Prime, employees are aligning themselves with an organisation that places value on doing what is right, not just for the company’s bottom line but for the community it serves.

Prime has not only embraced the responsibility of shaping spaces but also undertaken the commitment to be a force for good in the world. This is demonstrated by its status as a B Corp, a recognition that evaluates companies based on rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

An example of Prime placing exemplary health facilities in the heart of the community is a new Cancer Centre set to open soon in Surrey. The facility offers highly advanced oncology treatments so patients with cancer will have access to the latest treatment options. This care is provided in an environment that allows nature to be a part of the recovery journey, with patients offered views and a waiting room experience outside in landscaped gardens.

In addition to offering advanced cancer treatments to private patients, this space will also offer NHS patients access to technology not currently available in the area. Prime went in with a purpose: to create a place of warmth and peace not always associated with a clinical environment of a typical hospital.

In recognising the profound impact that outstanding healthcare can have on a community, Prime extends its commitment beyond cutting-edge treatments and the walls of medical facilities. It understands the critical role that dedicated key workers play in maintaining our health and care system. Prime has channelled its expertise into the development, testing and implementation of a proprietary key worker accommodation model. This initiative not only seeks to ease the recruitment and retention challenges faced by the NHS but also adheres to rigorous governance standards, ensuring a sustainable solution for the evolving needs of our healthcare workforce.

Hyve by Prime addresses the high demand for desirable and affordable key worker accommodation close to hospital sites. Benefitting from flexible tenancy lengths that meet the changing lives of residents, Hyve developments are built using sustainable, energy-efficient and functional building designs to create comfortable and safe spaces for health and care professionals to call home.

Operating as a not-for-profit business, Hyve enables health and care providers to deliver transformation at pace, meeting the needs of the NHS by adhering to its accounting and budgetary restrictions. As Hyve fully manages rental agreements, it removes the demand risk for the NHS.

This ready-made solution has already provided much-needed affordable homes for key workers in Dorset and Prime can quickly roll out the pre-designed homes nationwide. It is a critical step towards solving the recruitment and retention challenges that hinder progression and improvement for health and care providers.

Our aging population demands greater adaptability from our health and care services. In response, those services will need to revise their recruitment and retention strategies. Prime recognises that flexibility must sit at the heart of every key worker development. Whether it’s accommodating more student practitioners or providing secure accommodation for families, these developments must be designed to meet immediate needs and proactively support the evolving recruitment and retention strategies of the future.

Developing key worker accommodation is certainly not easy. Still, against an escalating staffing crisis, health and care providers must take the bold steps needed to deliver these vital pieces of infrastructure, with the potential to not only help them meet today’s challenges but to ready them for tomorrow’s. 

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