Hospital 2.0 Alliance explained
The New Hospital Programme (NHP) has designed a whole new system known as Hospital 2.0 and, within that, has created a new commercial approach known as the Hospital 2.0 Alliance. This is bringing NHS Trusts, contractors and national NHP teams closer together than ever before. We spoke to Laurence Jenkin, the Women and Children’s Hospital Programme Commercial Lead, to understand what this collaborative approach means in practice for RCHT, and the wider programme.
What is the Hospital 2.0 Alliance?
At its heart, the Hospital 2.0 Alliance is about NHS Trusts, construction companies and the New Hospital Programme working together collectively and collaboratively. There are 11 NHS Trusts in the first wave of the New Hospital Programme and 10 construction companies. The Alliance was established in February this year and since then we’ve all been working together to determine who will work with whom across the programme. It’s been incredibly dynamic and a really fresh experience.
Nothing like this has ever been done before. Traditionally when delivering major building projects, NHS Trusts procure contractors largely on their own. While effective, that approach hasn’t always made full use of the benefits that come from working at scale, using standardised designs and methods of construction including off-site manufacturing.
The Hospital 2.0 Alliance changes that. It brings together NHS trusts, contractors and the NHP under one shared arrangement, with a single, common aim: to deliver the best outcomes for the overall New Hospital Programme, not just the individual new hospitals. We will share knowledge, learn from each other, and take a more coordinated approach to procurement and delivery.
What difference will that make?
One of the biggest opportunities is scale.
By working as a programme, rather than as separate organisations, the NHS can secure better value and consistency. For example, using standard products or components, like fixture and fittings, across multiple schemes allows us to benefit from efficiencies that wouldn’t be possible if everyone worked in isolation.
But it’s not just about cost. It’s also about making delivery more efficient; more coordinated. The Hospital 2.0 Alliance makes our processes simpler and more consistent. Decisions can be quicker, and all the time we are sharing expertise across the programme and taking a stronger, more predictable approach to working with the construction industry.
How does collaboration with contractors work?
A key feature of the Hospital 2.0 Alliance is how contractors are selected and matched with NHS Trusts.
Rather than running separate competitions for each new hospital project, contractors have been appointed to a national framework and then allocated a scheme based on best fit – considering factors such as experience, capability and location.
This has already created a more collaborative environment. All the NHS Trusts in Wave 1 now know who their construction partners are we are working together early, building relationships and understanding before construction begins.
For us at RCHT, that early collaboration is already proving valuable. It allows open conversations about buildability, risks and opportunities that will help to shape a more deliverable scheme from the start.
What is “Hospital 2.0” and why is it important?
Alongside the alliance, the programme is introducing a more standardised approach to hospital design, known as Hospital 2.0.
Rather than every hospital being designed from scratch, this approach uses agreed templates and layouts for clinical areas – developed with input from clinical teams at a national level.
This means, similar departments will follow consistent design principles across different hospitals. Across the national programme, this guarantees consistent design and delivery, and the ability to use modern methods of construction. Both support a more efficient build process, with elements created off site and assembled on site – helping to improve speed and predictability.
As the commercial lead at RCHT, what is your role within the Hospital 2.0 Alliance?
The commercial team plays a central role in making this approach work. It includes everything from procurement of services and contract development through to cost management and risk planning for the entire new hospital. Our new Women and Children’s Hospital is the largest healthcare infrastructure project in Cornwall ever, and we have to be extremely diligent with the work we do and the money we spend.
Most recently, we’ve been working with our proposed construction partner to complete due diligence; developing the contract arrangements for the project and aligning the national requirements of the New Hospital Programme with our specific needs at RCHT. It’s a really detailed process, but a vital one to ensure the right foundations are in place before construction begins.
What happens next?
The Hospital 2.0 Alliance is structured in stages, starting with early contractor involvement.
This first phase focuses on refining the design, understanding risks, and drawing on contractor expertise to ensure the scheme is deliverable. It then moves into more detailed design and, ultimately, construction.
Over the coming months, work will continue to finalise contracts, develop the design and prepare for the next phases of delivery.
And your final thoughts, Laurence?
We’re really encouraged by the Hospital 2.0 Alliance. Early discussions across the programme have been excellent and you can already see early collaboration is beneficial.
Our allocated contractor has considerable construction experience in the southwest, along with an established supply chain. The partnership is a very good match programmatically – offering a solid starting point as we move forward together.
As for the wider programme team at RCHT, we are confident that the Hospital 2.0 Alliance and our allocated construction partner together provide a strong foundation for delivery of our new Women and Children’s Hospital.