Hemel Health Campus - making healthcare easier, closer and more joined-up

Introduction

The local NHS and Dacorum Borough Council are working together to explore opportunities to bring hospital, GP, mental health, social care, wellbeing and community health services into a new purpose-built and accessible health facility to provide more joined-up care for the local community.

We are reviewing the best way of doing this by exploring a series of options in a ‘Strategic Outline Case’ (see timeline below), which we are developing with health and care partners, patients, staff and community stakeholders.

We will engage extensively with all stakeholders throughout the planning process and will use this exciting once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve how and where services are delivered, so that health and care services across Dacorum are more joined up and accessible to all.

Contents

1. The changing health needs of people in Dacorum
2. What’s behind the proposed changes to local health and care services?
3. How do we want local health and care services to change?
4. New Model of Care – What to Expect
5. Timeline (project stages)
6. How can I get involved?
7. What happens next?

1. The changing health needs of people in Dacorum

As people live longer, their health needs become more complex. More people are living with ongoing health conditions also known as long-term conditions (LTCs) and managing multiple illnesses at the same time. This means the need for healthcare and pressure on local services is growing – and we need to change how we provide care to keep up with that demand.

The population in Dacorum is expected to grow from about 154,000 in 2018 to over 165,000 by 2043, with the largest increases in those aged 55 and over. To meet the needs of our growing and ageing population, we’re working on making care more joined-up, convenient, and focused on what matters most to patients.

In 2018, around 1 in 10 people were recorded by their GP as living with frailty — meaning they were more vulnerable to health problems.

Most people with frailty (about 7 out of 10) were over 70 years old, and more than half had two or more ongoing long-term conditions (LTCs).

As the number of people aged 55 and over in Dacorum grows over the next 18 years, there will be more people living with frailty and they may need extra support to stay well.

2. What’s behind the proposed changes to local health and care services?

The way we organise and group certain services or functions don’t necessarily make the most effective use of our collective resources within the NHS and partners.

Getting care can sometimes feel disjointed. People visit different places at different times for different services. That can be time-consuming, frustrating, and hard to manage.

We also recognise some people in Dacorum feel let down by the way services have been managed and organised locally, over many years.

This is an opportunity to improve and strengthen the way we deliver the healthcare our communities receive both now and over the coming decades. Central to that will be bringing services together into a more joined-up and integrated health and care service, so we can more effectively meet the future needs of the local community.

A new Health Campus – ‘Care all in one place’

We are exploring what the best way of doing this is in practice and will be reviewing a series of options in a strategic case we are developing with partners.

One of these is the relocation of existing services to a purpose-built facility/health campus in Market Square, Hemel Hempstead.

This new facility would bring many services together in one place. This will make it much easier to get the care and support you need – all under one roof.

You’ll be able to access specialist advice, get tests or treatment, and access support from different services all in one location.

Over the summer, we want to better understand what services local people want to see in Hemel Hempstead and how we can best meet future care needs.

So, we’ll be seeking your feedback and thoughts on the health campus to shape our thinking and approach – and would value your views on this option. This will then be considered against other alternatives in the Strategic Outline Case.

Focusing on prevention and local care
A campus will help shift the focus from treating people only when they reach a health crisis, to supporting their health earlier – helping people stay well and stay at home when possible.

Rather than relying on hospital visits, more care will happen locally, in the community, with teams working together to support you before health problems get worse.

After all, no one wants to spend time in hospital if they don’t have to – and with the right care in place earlier on, many people won’t need to.

Boosting the community and town centre
A new health campus won’t just improve healthcare – it will also help revitalise the town centre. By bringing more people, professionals, and activity into the area, it will help local shops and businesses thrive and make the town centre more attractive for businesses and investors.

3. How do we want local health and care services to change?

• Provide effective, modern care from fit-for-purpose and flexible facilities (future proofing)
• Use new facilities as a catalyst to redesign health and care services in Dacorum to meet the current and future needs of local residents
• Shifting the focus of delivery to early help and prevention, with a particular emphasis on reducing health inequalities and ageing well
• Deliver care closer to home, including through multi-disciplinary teams that support more complex, older residents and reduce onward demand for acute care
• Coordinate the provision of urgent care services for the local community, improving access to same day support.
• Continuously evaluate and refine the model

4. New Model of Care – What to Expect

We’re working on a new way of providing care that focuses on your health and wellbeing in three main areas:

Area 1: Keeping you healthy (Preventative Care)

We want to help you stay well, both physically and mentally. This includes:

• Spaces for local wellbeing events led by community and faith groups
• Easy access to vaccinations and health checks
• Helpful and knowledgeable staff (receptionists and health coaches to guide you)
• Support to join social activities and exercise programmes that boost health
• Advice on diet and general wellness

Area 2: Supporting you with ongoing or complex needs

If you have ongoing or more serious health needs, we’re making it easier to get the right help in one place:

• Rooms for medical consultations and minor procedures
• Access to scans and tests such as MRI, CT, endoscopy, X-ray, ultrasound, and lung function tests
• Teams of healthcare professionals working together to support your care needs
• Help to join remote monitoring programmes such as “virtual hospital” care, so you can be looked after at home when appropriate

Area 3: Help when you need it quickly (Same-Day Urgent Care)

For urgent health problems that need same-day attention:

• A local Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) in Hemel Hempstead town centre
• Better same-day access to urgent health appointments in your local area
• Out-of-hours and home visits when needed
• Same location for testing to speed up diagnosis (rather than needing to travel somewhere else)
• Video calls with specialists if urgent expert advice is needed

5. Timeline (project stages)

The following timeline shows the stages in developing this project.

Stage 1: Project Initiation (June 2024) – Complete

Public Engagement: on the health campus proposals and new model of care (June to August 2025)

Stage 2: Strategic Outline Case (by December 2025) – In progress

1. Review of services considered for inclusion
2. High level spatial planning
3. Cost review
4. Options appraisal (including funding and delivery models)
5. Land review and valuation.

Stage 3: Outline Business Case (2026)

1. Development of Outline Business Case (OBC)
2. Design new facility to RIBA Stage 2 (RIBA Stage 2, the Design stage, is vital in construction, focusing on establishing the project brief and developing initial design concepts)
3. Completion of full cost estimates
4. Confirmation of procurement strategy
5. Secure relevant approvals
6. Production and Submission of Outline Business Case

Stage 4: Full Business Case (dates dependent on previous stage)

1. Development of Full Business Case
2. Confirmation of full project costs
3. Selection of preferred contractor(s) for delivery
4. Production and Submission of Full Business Case

Stage 5: Execution/Delivery of project (dates dependent on previous stage)

6. How can I get involved?

We want to hear feedback from patients, carers, staff and other stakeholders, as part of our decision-making process.

We are already meeting patients, carers, community and voluntary groups in thinking about our vision and proposals for the health campus. We will continue to keep all stakeholders informed and involved as we move through the formal stages of ‘Strategic Outline Case’ to ‘Outline Business Case’ in 2026.

Have your say: Complete our survey on the health campus proposals and new model of care

Survey opens from 3 July to 21 August 2025 (hardcopies are available in all Dacorum Libraries and at the Forum, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN).

7. What happens next?

• Public engagement (June to August 2025) to feed into the development of the Strategic Outline Case by the end of 2025.
• Move to the next stage of an ‘Outline Business Case’ in 2026.