The LMC understands that commissioners have, under NHS England advice, sent a letter to local Trusts inviting them to take over leases held by NHSPS (NHS Property Services) which includes many GP practice premises. Local ICBs will play a coordinating role in this process with regional NHS England oversight.
This potential change relates to premises transferred from Primary Care Trusts, when these were abolished in 2013, to either NHSPS or Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) The latter are unaffected by this initiative. This process is framed as part of neighbourhood level integration.
The guidance indicates that any transfer arrangement should ensure that the estate remains available for the provision of NHS services, and that current service provision via NHSPS will continue, although it doesn’t preclude recipient Trusts making new service arrangements.
Within the guidance, eligible transfers are required to include confirmation that debt settlement or agreement, and service contracts, are in place.
The actual wording in NHS England guidance states:
No transfer will be enacted until there is a binding agreement in place between NHSPS and each of the occupiers of that property for the settlement of any outstanding debt relating to the property
As a new landlord, Trusts will be required to accept existing terms of occupation, or to agree but not impose new terms.
Overall, the process is complicated, and the first transfers are not expected to be agreed until Q3 of 2026/27 at the earliest. GPs should note that as they are not public bodies, there is no provision for GP partnerships to receive the transfer of NHSPS properties.
Although the LMC has no information on any individual properties, GPs based in NHSPS premises can contact their ICB estates department to ask if their premises is included within any proposed transfer to a local Trust, and request to be kept informed of this process if it has commenced or commences in the future. GP practices with outstanding disputes with NHSPS can advise ICBs of this as they should therefore not be included in any transfer list.