NEC project management and business case support for Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre (ICC)
Archus supported the design and delivery of a £16m integrated care centre, enabling the scheme to proceed within a constrained budget while expanding capacity, improving access, and delivering a scalable model for neighbourhood-based care aligned to NHS policy.
The challenge
The Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre was commissioned to replace an ageing community hospital with an estimated £5.9m backlog maintenance liability and address growing demand from a rapidly expanding and ageing population, projected to increase by around 20% by 2026. The scheme aimed to expand community care services, while enabling integrated, community-based models of care aligned to national NHS priorities.
A two-year delay to capital approval, from March 2021 to April 2023, meant inflation and rising construction costs rendered the original scheme unaffordable, putting the £16m project at risk of stalling entirely. With no additional funding available, the challenge was to deliver the same strategic outcomes within a fixed budget while maintaining quality, sustainability and long-term system value.
Our approach
Archus supported a value-led redesign of the Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre, ensuring the scheme remained deliverable while maintaining alignment with system objectives and service requirements.
Working collaboratively with the Integrated Care Board, NHS Property Services and wider system partners, the team adopted an innovative approach by mirroring the design of the Devizes Health Centre. This enabled the reuse of established layouts, specifications and design principles, significantly reducing programme risk, shortening design timelines and improving cost certainty in a volatile market.
A highly coordinated, multidisciplinary delivery model brought together project management, design, cost consultancy and construction partners. Structured governance, regular coordination meetings and a clear project execution plan ensured alignment between clinical requirements, operational models and infrastructure design throughout the project lifecycle.
Archus also supported the integration of service models into the physical design, enabling co-location of primary care, community services, diagnostics and urgent care. Sustainability was embedded throughout, with the scheme targeting net zero in operation and BREEAM Excellent standards, aligned to the NHS Net Zero Carbon Building Standard.
This approach ensured the scheme remained affordable, deliverable and aligned to long-term system transformation goals.
The impact
Maintained deliverability in a constrained market
By adopting a value-led redesign and mirroring the Devizes Health Centre model, the project was able to progress within a fixed capital envelope despite inflationary pressures that had made the original scheme unaffordable. This approach reduced design time, limited rework and provided cost certainty, ensuring the scheme did not stall and could move forward to delivery.
Reduced programme risk through a proven model
Reusing established layouts, specifications and design principles significantly reduced design and delivery risk. Rather than developing a new solution from first principles, the team built on a tested and operationally proven model, increasing confidence across stakeholders and enabling more efficient decision-making thr-oughout the project lifecycle.
Enabled faster, more coordinated delivery
The use of a coordinated, multidisciplinary delivery approach ensured alignment between design, cost and operational requirements in real time. This reduced delays, avoided redesign cycles and supported a more efficient programme, helping to maintain momentum following the approval delay.
Protected strategic intent despite financial constraints
Crucially, the approach ensured that cost pressures did not compromise the core ambition of the project. The final scheme still delivers expanded capacity, integrated services and a modern, sustainable facility aligned to NHS ambitions for community-based care.
Created a scalable model for future schemes
By successfully applying and adapting the Devizes model, the project demonstrates how integrated care centres can be delivered more efficiently across the system. This creates a repeatable approach that can be applied to future developments, supporting wider adoption of neighbourhood-based care infrastructure.
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This was a project where we had to rethink our approach completely. Rising costs meant the original scheme was no longer affordable, so we built on a proven model from Devizes and focused on what really mattered, capacity, integration and access. That allowed us to keep the project moving and deliver something that still meets the needs of the community for the long term.
Alison Halmshaw
