According to NHS England, the hospital treatment waiting list was 7.5 million as of March 2025. Over the winter of 2024/25, A&E attendance rose above pre-pandemic levels, and by April 2025, 39.8% of A&E patients waited more than four hours for treatment. Similarly, in Ireland, the Department of Health reported that at the end of April 2025, there were 713,930 patients on the active hospital scheduled care waiting list.
While summer may temporarily ease this pressure, NHS, HSE and healthcare providers throughout the UK and Ireland are already preparing for another surge in patient demand this winter. Yet, capital budgets remain tight, ageing estates persist and funding for permanent infrastructure is increasingly difficult to secure.
Healthcare providers urgently need solutions that enable them to expand and adapt quickly, without the financial burden of major capital investment. Modular healthcare facilities offer precisely this—delivering flexible clinical space that can be deployed rapidly and cost efficiently, helping bridge capacity shortfalls during critical periods without locking in long-term capital commitments.
The Solution – Rental Modular Buildings
Rented buildings offer a flexible, cost-effective solution that empowers healthcare providers to better serve patients while managing resources wisely. Rented facilities provide an interim solution which enables you to rapidly improve your estate and provide vital services, when faced with delays to capital projects.
McAvoy provides a full turnkey service, from planning to aftercare ensuring the process of renting new facilities is seamless.
Flexibility to respond to changing needs
Renting offers the agility to respond quickly to aging facilities or unforeseen healthcare needs, allowing for quick expansion. Renting allows you to pay for what you need, for as long as you need it. Protection if your requirement for space reduces based on external factors.
Additional space can be provided on a phased basis enabling you to expand your facilities in line with demand. If a change of use is required, we can reconfigure our buildings to ensure maximum use of the space.
Renting provides you with the option to extend your rental duration by agreement, giving you flexibility to respond to unforeseen demand.
Cost-effective resource management
Renting eliminates the need for large capital outlays, helping to reduce upfront costs. With fixed rental pricing, healthcare providers can budget more predictably freeing up funds for frontline services instead of property ownership or upkeep.
There’s no obligation to purchase at the end of the rental term, but a purchase option can be arranged if needed. McAvoy also manages all maintenance throughout the rental period, ensuring optimum performance and relieving Trusts of the burden of managing maintenance contractors.
We can also offer bespoke, flexible finance solutions through a Managed Service Agreement (MSA) – this improves financial efficiency and expedites project initiation.
Speed of delivery
Modular buildings provide a rapid response to urgent requirements. McAvoy can deliver new facilities rapidly using its adaptable rental fleet. With 70% of works completed offsite, this means less time on site and minimised disruptions to live healthcare environments.
No compromise on quality
McAvoy’s future-proofed rental solutions are manufactured to exceed current building regulation requirements. With our rental solutions, there are no limitations on finished and fit-out options unlike other providers.
Renting is a sustainable choice
At the end of the rental period McAvoy will remove the building and repurpose the structure for its next use, reducing its carbon footprint. If you have restricted space or need to recover the space at a later date, rented buildings can easily be relocated or removed offering you ultimate flexibility for your requirements.
Proven result: University Hospitals Birmingham
Faced with increasing demand for bed space after the COVID-19 pandemic, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust required a fast, flexible solution.
The Project:
- Client: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Sites: Heartlands Hospital and Good Hope Hospital
- Facilities: 2 × 48-bed modular wards
- Rental Term: 10 years
- Installation to Completion: 14 weeks (Good Hope), 18 weeks (Heartlands)
In this instance the Trust was able to avail of a financial solution that avoided significant capital expenditure and an accommodation model that allowed for relocation / repurposing either within the current location or another Trust site, if necessary, at a later stage.
Choosing McAvoy’s SmartCare® rental option also provided the Trust with increased flexibility in terms of business planning, with the option to extend the rental period.
With healthcare services under growing pressure and capital investment increasingly hard to secure, rental modular solutions offer a practical and future-proofed way forward. McAvoy is here to support healthcare providers with fast, flexible, and sustainable building solutions that deliver real value.