Hospitals as anchor institutions: how the NHS can act beyond healthcare to support communities

UK hospitals are exploring their potential as anchor institutions to use their financial, employment, and asset muscle to support local economies and tackle social determinants of health.

Neil McInroy, chief executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), which works to achieve social justice and effective public services, explains the idea: “An anchor institution is a large organisation that is embedded in a place and isn’t going anywhere, employs many people, spends a lot of money on services, and has large land and investment holdings—big buildings, multiple sites, large pension pots.”

It mainly includes public sector institutions such as universities and councils but can extend to enterprises such as airports, football clubs, and longstanding employers.

McInroy emphasises hospitals’ substantial economic clout: “They are all across the country, they employ thousands …