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.
n 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.