The Pears Maudsley Centre is an exceptional example of joint working between the NHS and the clinical research and charity sectors and clearly illustrates what can be achieved despite the pressures on capital which continue across the NHS.

The project has drawn from a range of sources to deal with the financial challenges, with funding coming from a variety of charities involved in the sector and King’s College London.

How we helped the Trust

Our Healthcare Infrastructure Projects team at Capsticks have supported on all legal aspects of the project, from funding and contractual arrangements to the construction of this world class building.

The project recently reached an important legal milestone with the completion of contractual arrangements between our client, the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and its partners KCL and the Maudsley Charity.

Collaboration and partnership is at the heart of this project and we have ensured that this has been properly and effectively captured within the contractual arrangements.

What will the Centre provide?

Once constructed, the new facility will include inpatient, outpatient and crisis mental health care facilities for children and young people, as well as world leading clinical research facilities. It will bring together the Trust's specialist child and adolescent mental health services and the largest group of mental health scientists and clinical academics in Europe and researchers from KCL within a modern collaborative space under one roof.

The key legal aspects to consider in large-scale, collaborative developments

The legal issues involved in the development were highly complex. We secured and aligned multiple elements in our suite of documents, giving our client peace of mind regarding important aspects such as funding, long-term arrangements and collaborative use. Our advice:

• supported the flow of charity funding into the project: The funding agreements we produced helped to secure up to a third of the £70 million funding for the project through charitable donations.  At the same time, we provided the donors with the comfort that their contributions would be applied for the intended purpose.

• managed the construction of the building on a complex hospital site: As the construction site is located in the heart of Maudsley Hospital, our documents provided vital clarity around the arrangements during the construction period and minimised the impact on the operational hospital site.

• granted essential, long-term rights over adjoining land: The site of the new facility is effectively land locked and surrounded by land in third party ownership. We secured long term rights for the site which will ensure that the new facility will be fully serviced during its operational period.

• secured long term tenancy arrangements for healthcare and education: We documented KCL’s long term commitment to the facility through an agreement for lease and the grant of a long lease which operates during both the construction and operational phases. The Centre will also house the outstanding Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School, which provides inpatient students with personalised education to help them maintain their studies whilst receiving treatment.

• ensures the fluid use of collaborative space by the clinical and research teams:  Central to the vision of the facility is creating a space where clinical and research staff can work in a collaborative environment. The tenancy documents we developed support and encourage this, placing an emphasis on shared space throughout much of the building and allowing for the fluid use of the premises.

How Capsticks can help on your projects

Joint working between the NHS and clinical research and the charity sector is an excellent route to the delivery of world class healthcare facilities. We would be very happy to discuss with you how our work on this project and similar schemes could be applied for the benefit of your organisation. Please contact Matthew Hunter for further details.