09 February 2026

Own your estate. Four insights that Trusts need on the new NHS Property Transfer Framework

Stuart G (MRICS), Associate Director and Professional Lead in Space/Asset Management and Commercial Property Advisory at Archus, works closely with NHS Trusts on estate strategy, space planning and commercial property matters. His insights below explain what the new January 2026 DHSC guidance means in practice.

What does the January 2026 DHSC guidance allow NHS Trusts to do?

The Department of Health and Social Care has introduced a formal national process enabling NHS Trusts to request the transfer of properties currently owned by NHS Property Services (NHS PS). This is the first structured mechanism since the 2019 guidance was withdrawn in 2023, restoring Trusts' ability to initiate ownership discussions and secure strategically significant assets.

Why does this guidance matter for Trusts?

Health systems are continuing to juggle financial pressure, service transformation and increasingly stretched estates. In that context, this new guidance gives Trusts a real, tangible opportunity: the ability to bring key assets under local ownership, putting decisions closer to where care is delivered and where needs are best understood.

At its heart, the policy is about common sense, making sure each property sits with the organisation best placed to use it well, invest in it, and adapt it as services evolve. It’s a shift that not only strengthens local decision‑making but also supports the ambitions of the government’s 10‑Year Health Plan.

But taking advantage of this opportunity will require Trusts to demonstrate strong due diligence, clear business case thinking and close collaboration across ICS partners. Transfers need to be robust, affordable and aligned with wider system priorities.

Here are four key themes Trusts should pay attention to:

1. Trusts now have a formal, national route to request NHS PS properties
Trusts now have a formal, national route to request NHSPS properties, the first such mechanism available since the 2019 guidance was withdrawn in 2023.

This new framework builds on the foundations set in the 2013 reforms and restores Trusts’ ability to proactively initiate ownership discussions. Crucially, it gives Trusts a renewed opportunity to bring strategically important sites under local control, removing the long‑standing limitations of operating solely as tenants within the NHSPS estate.

2. Local ownership strengthens strategic and clinical alignment
Ownership gives Trusts far more flexibility to shape buildings around local need, whether that’s creating neighbourhood care hubs, supporting flow improvements, or adapting spaces as models of care develop.

When the estate is fully under local control, planning becomes quicker, more integrated and more responsive to operational priorities. It enables Trusts to modernise, reconfigure and invest without third‑party constraints holding up progress.

3. Transfers can strengthen value for money and investment certainty
Owning the property simplifies cost management, removes opaque charging, and creates predictable long-term conditions for planning and investment. This is crucial for Trusts facing backlogs, capital constraints, or multi-year redevelopment programmes. Ownership provides a stable platform for capital business cases and lifecycle planning.

4. It directly supports ICS priorities and the shift to neighbourhood-level care
This guidance gives Trusts the ability to bring community‑based properties into local ownership, enabling them to be used more flexibly, adapted more quickly, and aligned with population health plans.

By shifting ownership closer to service delivery, property transfers become a practical lever for accelerating preventative, community‑first models of care.

How Archus can support you

Trusts choose Archus because we understand both NHS PS and provider-side estate dynamics, bringing together transactional, technical, clinical, and strategic expertise under one roof.

We help organisations confidently move from opportunity to ownership.

Property due diligence & acquisition advisory

Every transfer requires a comprehensive due diligence process that withstands national scrutiny.

Our approach combines:

RICS best practice
NHS Estatecode-aligned
Technical assurance-aligned
Condition, compliance & lifecycle risk review
Legal and lease analysis
Market and valuation testing (to understand the commercial opportunity for surplus space)
Operational and adaptability assessment

This gives Trusts complete confidence that each transfer request is evidence-led, risk-tested and approval-ready.

Business case development (including Health Capital Planning) and supporting services

With 19 Better Business Case™ Practitioners and two accredited trainers, we ensure every case is fully compliant with HMT Green Book standards and NHSE assurance frameworks.

We develop business cases that clearly articulate:

Strategic fit
Economic and financial justification
Benefits and outcomes
Affordability and risk management
ICS and national alignment

Our Health Capital Planning team strengthens this further through investment modelling, scenario testing and utilisation analysis, helping Trusts build cases that are robust today and resilient for the future.

We also offer additional services to obtain the data which will support your business case, e.g:

Utilisation surveys (physical survey and / or motion sensors)
Assess property suitability for conversion to required use, including HTM / HBN compliance

Our track record

Here’s how we’ve supported Trusts facing similar estate challenges

Ready to reshape your estate? Get in touch with Stuart G - MRICS today s.greer@archus.uk.com