1.1 Local Improvement Finance Trusts (LIFT) are a Government-endorsed finance scheme based on long term joint ventures at national and local level to improve investment in primary and social care services in England. Already around £1.8 billion of funding has been injected into GP premises and community facilities across the country in this programme, with over £1 billion in the pipeline. To date, over 260 LIFT buildings are either in construction or open to patients. LIFT facilities often co-locate a wide range of services, including GP practices; podiatry services; occupational therapy; physiotherapy; multi-purpose diagnostic and treatment clinics; and mental health services. In addition, children's centres, libraries, leisure facilities and social care facilities including residential, day-care and nursing supported housing schemes are just some of the premises that have been built through Local Authorities under LIFT.
1.2 Each local joint venture company (the LIFTCo) is owned by representatives of the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), Community Health Partnerships7 and a private sector partner. Projects are overseen by a Strategic Partnering Board, comprising representatives of stakeholders from the local health economy, including in some areas local authorities. Unlike Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deals, LIFT schemes are based on the local LIFTCo owning and maintaining the new premises and leasing space to PCTs, General Practitioners (GPs) and other social care or voluntary sector tenants, offering a real partnership approach between the public and private sectors. LIFT was first introduced by the Department of Health (DH) in 2000 with the aim of attracting a total of up to £1 billion of private investment by 2010; a level of primary care investment unprecedented in the history of the NHS.
1.3 The LIFT Council (formerly LIFT LOBI) is the representative trade body for private sector investors in LIFT schemes. Our membership comprises 13 organisations; over 95% of the private equity investors in LIFT ventures around the country. The LIFT Council acts as a forum for debate and decision-making for members on all issues relating to LIFT and represents the interests and consensus opinion of its members. We welcome the opportunity to feed into the Committee's inquiry into Private Finance Projects and off-balance sheet debt and submission addresses the issues in the terms of reference.
1.4 In particular, The LIFT Council hopes that the Committee will consider innovative public-private partnership (PPP) models such as LIFT, which offers a meaningful partnership between public and private sectors, within the scope of its inquiry. Representatives from The LIFT Council would welcome the opportunity to give oral evidence to the Committee as part of this inquiry.
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7 Community Health Partnerships (CHP)-known until autumn 2007 as Partnerships for Health (PfH)-is an independent company, wholly owned by the Department of Health. Its main activity has been to deliver the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Initiative which provides clean, modern, purpose-built premises for health and local authority services in England.