7 Oct 2009 12:20
7 October 2009
Cyril Sweett Group plc
('Cyril Sweett' or the 'Group')
Cyril Sweett joint venture appointed as NHS Cumbria LIFT Partner
Cyril Sweett Group, the international construction and property consultancy, is pleased to announce that Express LIFT Investments Limited ("ELIL") has been selected to deliver a multi-million pound programme of health projects across Cumbria in what is a UK first. ELIL is a joint venture created by Cyril Sweett Investments Limited, a specialist PFI investment business within Cyril Sweett, Anagennao Limited and Sutton Harbour Holdings plc, to take part in the Express LIFT National Framework initiative.
NHS Cumbria has appointed ELIL to form a Local Improvement Finance Trust ("LIFT") company to finance and redevelop the counties ageing community hospitals and deliver a range of other health facilities. The Consortium will assist in delivering an initial pipeline of projects worth around £85 million over the first six years of the 20-year partnership.
Cumbria is the first area in England to come forward under the Government's national 'Express LIFT' procurement framework. ELIL is one of just seven private sector partners chosen from a shortlist of 14 bidders by the Department of Health to work under the new framework.
Following an evaluation process over the summer, ELIL will now work with NHS Cumbria to finalise plans and manage the re-build Cumbria's community hospitals, building local supply chains to deliver high-quality, flexible and sustainable healthcare facilities. The LIFT model will also allow a range of other buildings to be procured, from small GP practices to one-stop health centres.
The re-building of Cumbria's community hospitals is a central part of NHS Cumbria's drive to provide more health services, closer to where people live. Plans for Brampton, Cockermouth and Millom are already in development; with plans for Alston, Keswick, Maryport, Penrith, and Wigton hospitals set to follow.
Ken Gill, Managing Director, Cyril Sweett Investments, said: "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work in partnership with NHS Cumbria to help deliver their community hospital redevelopment plans, which are at the cornerstone of their Closer to Home initiative, which will see new facilities and services providing real benefit to the people of Cumbria."
Maggie Chadwick, Chair of NHS Cumbria, said "We are delighted to have appointed ELIL as our LIFT Partner. Their involvement will bring extensive experience in delivering large infrastructure schemes for the NHS, and we look forward to our new LIFTCo accelerating our plans to re-develop our community hospitals in the most cost effective way."
Dean Webster, Cyril Sweett Group CEO commented:
"We are delighted that Express LIFT Investments Limited, has been appointed for the UK's first LIFT National Framework initiative. Express LIFT Investments Limited ("ELIL") was created specifically to take part in the initiative and to have secured the NHS Cumbria partnership is an exciting and significant achievement for the Group.
"There is a strong pipeline of business over the coming years from the Cumbria LIFT partnership and we look forward to working with our joint venture partners to achieve first-class delivery throughout. In addition, there are wider opportunities that the Express LIFT framework will present to Cyril Sweett in the future."
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Notes to Editors:
1. Express LIFT Investments Limited ("ELIL") is a limited company which was created specifically to take part in the Express LIFT National Framework initiative. ELIL is a joint venture that brings together parties who have a first-class record of delivery in the NHS LIFT market place and other Public Private Partnership initiatives. For more information on ELIL, please visit www.elil.co.uk
2. Cyril Sweett Investments is a specialist business within Cyril Sweett Group plc, tasked with investing in PFI projects. Cyril Sweett Investments invests in Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in PFI and PPP projects. Cyril Sweett Investments is one of the LIFT Partners for the Express Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) framework.
3. Currently around half of Primary Care Trusts in England are using NHS LIFT to update facilities and build new, modern GP surgeries, health centres and walk-in centres. LIFT enables PCTs and local authorities to develop new capital schemes faster than traditional procurement methods and provides a framework for long-term partnership between the public sector and private sector developers.
4. Express LIFT accelerates this process even further, offering PCTs and local authorities who have not yet conducted their own procurement, the opportunity to select a pre-approved LIFT partner more quickly and cost effectively from the list. Local procurements from the Express LIFT framework can be completed within three or four months as opposed to two years as is currently the case.