Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GWH NHS FT) would like to invite stakeholders to attend a Supplier/Bidder Engagement Event, which will inform plans to procure the design, build and operation of a standalone Transitional Care Facility on land adjacent to our acute hospital premises.

GWH NHS FT is one of the biggest healthcare providers and employers in the South West, with around 2.5 million patient contacts a year.

We provide healthcare to the people of Swindon and the surrounding areas, offering the latest treatments and care in hospital, in the local community and in people's own homes.

GWH NHS FT has 523 acute inpatient beds, numerous outpatient clinics, CT and MRI scanners, maternity services, an Intensive Care Unit, an Urgent Care Centre and a 24/7 Emergency Department.

We also provide the Adult Community Services in Swindon, supporting people to stay well and out of hospital, through a range of services that we provide in local community facilities and in people's own homes across Swindon.

We have a team of 4,500 highly skilled, dedicated and compassionate staff working in the Great Western Hospital and within our community healthcare facilities.

Current position We have had substantial growth in our local population; between 2001 and 2031, the population of Swindon is expected to have grown by 47%.

Bed occupancy rates are therefore high, which impacts on the flow of patients through the hospital.

The growth in demand means that with no change in our service model, future bed requirements would increase by 169 over 10 years (81 over 5 years), particularly as we are seeing more frail older people who tend to stay in hospital for longer.

Staying in bed in hospital longer than needed has the effect of reducing muscle strength and aerobic capacity, and reduces the ability to carry out everyday tasks, often leading to greater rehabilitation requirements and support needed post-discharge.

As the number of patients has risen, and their needs have changed, we are looking at new models of care that will enable us to right-size our capacity for our current demand, and that will enable care to be delivered in the most appropriate setting for our patients in the future.