How can the NHS estate be transformed to meet 21st-century demands, when ageing buildings, decarbonisation targets, and rising patient volumes all demand urgent action? 

The NHS estate landscape is at a critical juncture. With over 29 million m² of estate operated by NHS England at a cost exceeding £10 billion per year, the scale of the challenge is enormous. The backlog maintenance bill alone has reached approximately £13.8 billion in England for 2023/24, a figure that is now larger than the annual cost of running the estate in that period. Meanwhile, buildings continue to age, with approximately 42 % of the hospital estate having been built before 1985 and 14 % predating the NHS. At the same time, the NHS, being the first healthcare system to incorporate its Net Zero ambition into legislation, has made sustainability a higher priority than ever. To fulfil the green ambitions set out in the Health and Care Act 2022, the NHS must rethink and revolutionise how properties and facilities are built and maintained.  

The Institute for Government & Public Policy’s National NHS Estates Conference and Exhibition 2026, hosted in central London, has earned a reputation for being both inspiring and empowering, offering practical solutions to the pressing challenges confronting healthcare estates and facilities professionals.  

Join the Institute for Government & Public Policy at the National NHS Estates Conference and Exhibition 2026 to understand how the NHS can transform its estate into a sustainable, efficient, and digitally enabled foundation for future healthcare delivery.