Ten schemes to join next NHS LIFT wave

The process to select a fourth wave of NHS LIFT schemes began last week with a call for primary care trusts (PCTs) wanting to join the fourth tranche to apply to the Department of Health by 20 August. The Department will then interview applicants at the end of September through to mid-October.

The fourth wave of NHS LIFT schemes is set to be launched in December. It is expected to be a rolling programme, which will be added to as PCTs identify their schemes. At least 10 schemes are expected to be in the tranche.

In the same week, ExcellCare, a joint venture between Equion and the Bank of Scotland, finally reached financial close on the £75m Manchester, Salford and Trafford (MAST) scheme.

The first phase of the project will cost around £20m and include four separate schemes. The capital value of the work will increase by some £55m over the first five years as nine additional schemes are brought forward.

The sheer size of the scheme, along with problems over planning permission, saw the final stage of procurement delayed months past the original deadline.

Partnerships for Health chief executive Brian Johns told CJ: "This was a complex and large deal and all parties have done a great job in bringing it to financial close. There is inevitably a learning curve with Tranche One schemes."

He added: "This is a fantastic achievement for Partnerships for Health and the new MAST LIFT scheme. Modern, patient-centred, state-of-the-art premises will transform primary and social care in this area and is the very essence of what we are trying to do in LIFT. "

The construction will be carried out by Laing O’Rourke Northern. Work is due to begin next month with the first series of schemes due to be completed in 2005.

MAST is the third of ExcellCare’s six LIFT projects to reach financial close after Sandwell in January and Greater Nottinghamshire in early June. It is the 13th out of 42 to close at a national level.

• Community Solutions for Primary Care with Bluestone has seen off Infracare in the race to be preferred bidder on the £52m Doncaster NHS LIFT scheme. This is the last of the NHS LIFT Tranche Three schemes to reach preferred bidder stage.