The COVID-19 pandemic has practically given a metaphorical high-voltage jolt to the whole world. It fell like a plague and affected humans in a way that nothing else has since the last global war. In short, it has reminded us of our mortality. As a result, improvement has become the new goal for the wise.

According to an Industry expert, “the pandemic has put the world on notice, especially the healthcare sector. Everything and everyone has seen its effects. But in this turmoil also come opportunities – an opportunity to grow and be better. It is a time of progress to help create a better and healthier tomorrow.”

 

The future of healthcare looks bright with an integration of the latest technology. Cloud-based medical records storage, AI-based testing and diagnostics, integration of information across the healthcare spectrum are some of the next essential steps in the evolution of medicine. The use of special digital tools that help facilitate remote care between care providers and patients is increasing. Better and more intelligent tools, self-care devices, and home-based monitoring equipment are selling like hotcakes. A focus on real-time data plus quick availability will ensure the effectiveness of healthcare.

 

A shift to telehealth

The shift towards digital technology gives rise to telehealth. It was always going to be the future of medicine. But the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the change much faster than anticipated. From now on, the patients will likely want access to healthcare and medication without a time-consuming GP visit. Online pharmacies will become the new normal way of acquiring medication.

 

Trust between consumer and care provider will strengthen. It will be critical to sustaining a continued use of novel home-based services. Furthermore, this new operating model will require new incentives and resources to sustain itself long-term.

 

Creating tailored services for individual patients is the new goal for healthcare companies. That goal behooves them to hire experts that may help analyze gigantic amounts of data.

 

Trends to look out for

Doctors, nurses, hospital managers filled the traditional healthcare roles. But now, there is an additional demand for specialized business and data skills to manage the rapid growth. The majority of the businesses are searching for researchers, data analysts, intelligence leads, tech consultants, and finance specialists to keep up.

 

For the healthcare industries, there is a strong emphasis on tailoring medical services to each patient. The blanket therapies designed for a larger population will become defunct. Universal personalized medicine will be the new trend. That’s why the healthcare industry will require experts that can analyze and help utilize vast data effectively. Driving transformation through strategic integration analysis is the future.

 

Long-term health threats were the bread and butter of many healthcare companies before COVID-19. But the future will require better solutions at a faster pace. It will reduce the monopolies of knowledge and open the doors to collaboration and innovation. The healthcare companies will look for partnerships with faster, efficient, environment- and tech-friendly providers.

 

NHS and its role in the Healthcare Industry

The National Health Service commonly known as NHS in the UK is a centrally funded healthcare system whose primary objective has been to provide a health service to its citizens based on clinical need and not ability to pay. The founding principles for NHS which was set up in 1948 after the second world war were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery.

 

Sustainability & Net Zero carbon footprint

The NHS – which makes up 4% of the UK’s total carbon footprint – is aiming to reach net zero by 2045. If it succeeds, it’s likely to become the world’s first healthcare system to do so. To that end, NHS trusts and other healthcare providers are currently publishing their three-year “green plans” for reaching net zero, as mandated by the NHS. These are designed to flesh out the broader aims laid down in the NHS’s overarching green roadmap, published in 2020.

 

The NHS’s focus is on transforming its entire systems – from HR to IT – to align with net zero, while continuing to provide high-quality clinical care and tackling inequality. Its net zero targets fall into three areas, or “scopes”. Scope one refers to emissions as a direct result of healthcare activity, such as surgeries and inpatient treatments, ambulances and medications. Scope two covers indirectly purchased resources (such as energy) for the purpose of delivering services, like heating and furnishing clinics. But the real challenge is to significantly reduce scope three: emissions from indirect activity, including the medical supply chain (even the overseas parts), how patients and workers get around, and how waste is managed.

 

Medicines account for 25% of NHS carbon emissions, many of which come from single-use plastics, inhaler gases and anesthetics. As well as reducing unnecessary production of these, cutting carbon could involve giving out fewer prescriptions – sometimes referred to as “de-prescribing” – while making sure that medicines are distributed as close to home as possible.

 

Facilities Management (FM) Services in UK

The UK is one of Europe’s most developed and comprehensive markets for facility management services with regard to size & sophistication. Due to the widespread use of facility management services, vendors are now increasingly focusing on using specialized services to gain a foothold in the market, which has also witnessed several changes due to the macro-economic and social changes in the country.

 

Over the last decade, several service vendors operating in the country have been focused on expanding their presence to leverage the growing demand for facility management, especially with the recent trend favouring the outsourcing of non-core operations. The country has been witnessing an increased number of opportunities to leverage facility management and corporate real estate in innovative ways, given the dynamics across the country.

 

Key trends suggest that the United Kingdom continues to attract investment opportunities from global specialist facility management companies to address challenges in the local, fragmented markets. Large strategic buyers were highly active, mopping up smaller rivals, and private equity investment was rising as financial sponsors continued to finance the deployment. Moreover, technology-enabled business models have resulted in rising valuations in the country.

 

NHS and Facilities Management (FM) Services

The NHS has been one of the largest buyers of the FM (Facility Management) Services in the UK with a market size in terms of total contract value (TCV) in excess of £4.4 Billion seeking both Hard & Soft services from the FM service providers.

 

An analysis of our database at Baachu, gives a glimpse of the enormous opportunities that lay ahead from the NHS to the FM Service Providers in the short & medium term. In the next two to three years from 2023-25, the healthcare system will provide business opportunities in excess of £750 Million to FM providers just from contract renewals.

 

The annual breakdown from our database shows that contracts that are expiring in 2023 will offer business deals worth around £200 Million, 2024 will have £100 Million and 2025 will provide deals in excess of £450 Million. This will be in addition to any new procurement deals that NHS will come out with through tender notices.

 

A snapshot of the overall market with emphasis on key services gives an idea of the potential that NHS and Healthcare industry holds for FM Suppliers. The integrated services are the most sought after as the buyers tend to prefer a single supplier for all their FM needs. A look at the competitive landscape points towards the role of large global organizations to be the key FM suppliers to this industry.