Strong local partnership and swift collaboration between Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have enabled the rapid reconfiguration of space at Hodge Hill Primary Care Centre, Birmingham, to accommodate Healthcare for Older People services using CHP’s minor works fund.
The hospital team from the local acute Heartlands Hospital expressed an interest to move existing services for older people into a local facility, to increase capacity and care provision within a community setting and away from a busy hospital environment.
Hodge Hill was identified as an ideal location for delivering healthcare services for older people, due to its convenient position just three miles from Heartlands Hospital. The facility already offered five ready to use rooms, three bookable spaces and two clinical rooms, which require less reconfiguration to accommodate the service. This will enable a swift relocation with minimal disruption for both patients and staff.
The move was phased, with the Parkinson’s Multi-Disciplinary Clinic transitioning first to ensure continuity of care for patients. CHP worked alongside key partners from across NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust (BCHT), UHB and Birmingham and Solihull LIFTCo, to enable a seamless transition of services. Rapid, effective re-purposing of the space meant that this neighbourhood-based building could be used to provide services where they are most needed.
Hodge Hill currently provides GP services for approximately 15,000 patients with flexible booking rooms to enable the delivery of a range of primary and community care services including district nursing, phlebotomy, podiatry, physiotherapy, health visiting, and a range of specialist clinics. The centre is also home to community dental services and health information counselling.
Over the past year, CHP has worked closely with the local team and NHS system to enable the delivery of key services at Hodge Hill. The first milestone was achieved in October 2025 with the relocation of an infusion suite. This will be followed by older adult therapy and Healthcare for Older People services by the end of November 2025 meaning CHP will have successfully supported three service moves in just three months
Transforming care through flexible LIFT estate
The relocation work at Hodge Hill demonstrates flexibility of the LIFT estate and CHP’s commitment to supporting local systems with their healthcare needs and evolving requirements. By working in collaboration, the project has responded to challenges faced within the local NHS whilst increasing productivity within the building at minimal cost.
Simple modifications to existing space have enabled the delivery of additional services into a modern, safe environment within the local neighbourhood, significantly improving patient outcomes across the community.
This development is a great step forward in securing the long-term future of Hodge Hill Primary Care Centre whilst supporting the government’s key health mission to move more services from hospitals into community settings.
From a Healthcare for Older People perspective, relocating our clinics into the community is a really positive development. It means older adults — many of whom live with mobility challenges or multiple long-term conditions — can receive the same high-quality specialist care in a more accessible local setting, reducing stress, travel demands, and time spent in a busy hospital. By shifting appropriate outpatient activity away from the acute site, this move will also help to improve patient flow and capacity at Heartlands Hospital, ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place.
Our work at Hodge Hill Primary Care Centre shows how working in collaboration across the system, we can deliver cost-effective, fast and flexible solutions throughout the CHP estate to help benefit patients and the NHS. Through hard work by the operational teams and utilising strong relationships between CHP, the ICB and both provider Trusts, ensured everything was achieved as quickly, and efficiently, as possible.
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Get in touch with your CHP Regional Director and regional Property and Operations team to find out how they can support clinical services at CHP buildings providing high-quality, modern, core NHS facilities for patients in their local communities.
