© 2022 BW Healthcare Surveyors Limited
© 2022 BW Healthcare Surveyors Limited
Primary Care Premises Forum 2023 – Service Charge Dispute Update
We were delighted to attend the Primary Care Premises Forum (PCPF) Annual Conference held at the Institute Of Directors in London on Thursday 16th November.
One of the key speakers included Martin Steele, Chief Executive of NHS Property Services (NHSPS), who talked about the continued development, shaping and focus of the organisation. Of particular note was his section around ongoing service charge disputes with GPs, with one of the driving messages being the need from his perspective for GPs to engage in dialogue with NHSPS to establish agreed ways forward to include constructive and meaningful discussions around historic debt.
Mr Steele was very clear that NHSPS are very keen to resolve these disputes and will engage with each Practice, constructively, to look at how they can resolve historic debt as part of the wider resolution of service charge disputes. Whilst this message of intent is a positive one, obviously this sense of constructive dialogue needs to be driven out across NHSPS to ensure barriers and obstructions to engagement are removed.
Should practices challenge their premises service charges?
It is important to have the service charge schedules and any lease agreement assessed by an independent surveyor or solicitor. They should be able to advise whether the service charges are in accordance with the lease or heads of terms. Whether the practice have received the correct documentation to support the service charge claim. Have any increases in service charges been justified by the landlord and whether the method of calculating the charges is correct.
What can BW Healthcare Surveyors do to help?
We can offer a free service charge assessment. GP Practices can send us their historic service charge schedules along with a copy of their lease (if they have one!) and one of our specialist primary care surveyors will undertake a free initial assessment to ensure practices aren’t paying for services they aren’t receiving or aren’t overpaying for the services they are.
Should you have any questions or queries regards any of the above please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our expert advisors on 0114 4420098 or info@bwhsurveyors.co.uk and we would be more than happy to help.