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The new financial year brings a new set of opportunities and challenges for NHS Trusts across the UK. As budgets are finalised, the familiar pressures of rising demand, ageing estates and limited capital funding once again move to the top of the agenda. In particular, the need to expand capacity quickly and affordably is more urgent than ever.
More traditional construction routes can often clash with the realities of NHS budgeting cycles, with long timescales, significant upfront investment and inflexible outcomes that can’t keep up with changing needs.
This is where modular construction can offer a genuine alternative and act as a strategic tool for NHS Trusts.
Why flexibility matters
Planning under financial pressure demands agility. Allocating limited capital towards projects that can only be delivered two or three years down the line often doesn’t align with the immediate needs of hospitals.
Using offsite construction enables Trusts to scale capacity quickly and cost-effectively, whether they’re permanent or temporary structures, without being locked into expensive assets long before they’re needed.
Flexible options like modular hire agreements mean Trusts can deploy new clinical spaces without the burden of full capital expenditure upfront. Temporary modular buildings can be installed quickly to relieve pressures in A&E departments, outpatient services or to create decant space during refurbishments – and they can be just as easily removed or repurposed when pressures ease.
At Premier Modular, we also offer a wide range of funding models, from short and long-term rental, to leasing, and even pay-by-activity agreements. This gives Trusts more control over how and when budgets are spent, helping to maximise operational flexibility.
The need for speed
When time is critical, offsite construction shines through. Where traditional builds can stretch into multiple years of planning, groundworks and phased delivery, modular solutions can be designed, manufactured and installed within a matter of months.
It’s not about speed for speed’s sake, as earlier occupation means faster return on investment, immediate relief in critical areas and improved patient experience.
It gives Trusts the breathing space to plan longer-term estate strategies with greater clarity, without compromising patient care in the short term. Crucially, our solutions can be delivered within this financial year, meaning Trusts can act now, without waiting for the next budget cycle.
Did you know: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was experiencing high patient numbers and backlogs and needed an urgent solution in 2023. In addition, it had to spend its government funding by the end of financial year, contacting us just two months before, so we accelerated the design process, building programme and worked within a restricted budget to deliver a permanent building within the Trust’s timeframe.
A part of the bigger picture
For many, modular buildings are still seen as temporary, but modern offsite construction is far from a basic stopgap. Specified to high clinical standards, fully HTM and HBN-compliant and designed to integrate seamlessly with existing estate layouts, modular buildings can support a Trust’s needs. Whether it’s a single ward, complex diagnostic suite or interim office space, modular delivers on a permanent and temporary basis.
As a Trust’s clinical priorities, patient volumes or service delivery models shift, modular buildings can shift with them. Spaces can be extended, reconfigured, relocated or repurposed entirely. This flexibility enables estates strategies to evolve organically, rather than being locked into static long-term infrastructure that may no longer serve operational needs just a few years down the line.
Did you know: Temporary modular buildings can be repurposed limitlessly during their lifetime, whether that’s within a Trust’s estate or in another project entirely, fulfilling a circular economy.[RB1]
If your Trust is facing capacity challenges, now is the time to choose offsite manufacturing. From early feasibility through to delivery within this financial year, funding flexibility and clinical grade design, we can help you faster, smarter and more cost-effectively.
Take a look at our projects or get in touch today.
