Blog: The Physical Environment Matters
The publication of the final reports from the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation marks an important moment for everyone involved in shaping the future of NHS care. Although the majority of the findings focus on clinical safety, governance and workforce culture, this review places a noticeably stronger emphasis on the role of estates and infrastructure than previous maternity investigations. It recognises that the physical environment is not a backdrop to care but a fundamental component of safe, compassionate and modern maternity and neonatal services.
News: Handing over ‘First-of-its-kind’ temporary theatres
Darwin Group® has handed over a new temporary theatre and ward facility to Doncaster Royal Infirmary – believed to be the first-of-its-kind in the NHS, to help maintain services during major upgrade work.
Rethinking The Default Report
Facilities and Estates management is changing fast, but our defaults often aren’t. Our “Rethinking the Default” report presents a detailed examination of how long-standing assumptions in the NHS estates planning are limiting the system’s ability to modernise, expand capacity and maintain safe, compliant environments.
Staff Welfare Spaces
ON-DEMAND® STAFF WELFARE SPACES Designed, built and installed to your specification, our On-Demand® staff welfare spaces give your workforce the facilities they need when taking a well-earned break. Whether it’s somewhere to eat lunch, an area to get changed or a private place to sleep during night shifts, our flexible configuration options mean we always […]
Storage Spaces
ON-DEMAND® STORAGE SPACES Whether you’re filing away important patient paperwork or require a space to store medical equipment, our On-Demand® Storage Spaces are available in a wide range of sizes for exactly what you need. Bolt-on or standalone? It’s your choice Our flexible, modular solutions allow you to add storage space by connecting directly to […]
Offices and Meeting Rooms
ON-DEMAND® OFFICE SPACE AND MEETING ROOMS Whether you’re adding to your existing estate or need space to decant during refurbishment, we have the space to suit your office and meeting room needs. We design your On-Demand® space to your requirements, build it in our factory and install at your location. This means you get the […]
Staff and Admin Spaces
ON-DEMAND® STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE SPACES Flexible, non-clinical spaces for your healthcare ecosystem. Your estate needs more than clinical capacity to function at its best. Staff need a place to rest, administrative teams need suitable office spaces and secure storage is essential for everything from critical equipment to confidential records. Our On-Demand® staff and administrative spaces […]
Blog: Pioneering the ‘Third Way’ for NHS Estates
Recent reports from the Royal College of Surgeons and national media paint a compelling picture: waiting lists now exceed 7.3 million patients, with over 170,000 waiting more than a year for treatment. The 2025 UK Surgical Workforce Census highlights burnout, limited theatre access, and rising attrition among trainees. Meanwhile, almost half of NHS surgeons are operating just once a week due to bed shortages and outdated facilities.
Blog: Reframing NHS Surgical Challenges as Opportunities for Evolution
Recent reports from the Royal College of Surgeons and national media paint a compelling picture: waiting lists now exceed 7.3 million patients, with over 170,000 waiting more than a year for treatment. The 2025 UK Surgical Workforce Census highlights burnout, limited theatre access, and rising attrition among trainees. Meanwhile, almost half of NHS surgeons are operating just once a week due to bed shortages and outdated facilities.
Blog: Flipping the Script on Value in the NHS
The NHS was founded on a radical promise: that healthcare should be free at the point of need, funded collectively, and delivered with compassion. That promise still holds. But to protect it, we must evolve how we think about value—especially when it comes to the estate.
All products
ON-DEMAND® HEALTHCARE SPACES We provide the right building, at the right time, for as long as it’s needed. Whatever you need from your healthcare estate, there’s an On-Demand® solution to help your team continue delivering great care. From operating theatres and ward accommodation to GP surgeries, ambulance handover units and discharge lounges, whether you need […]
Portfolio
OUR PORTFOLIO Our On-Demand® range of facilities covers everything from Ultraclean Operating Theatres to GP surgeries and non-clinical support spaces. Here are just a few examples of recent projects that we have successfully delivered…
Case Study: Older Adult Mental Health Ward in Surrey
Due to the on-going construction of a new mental health hospital on the site of the former Abraham Cowley Unit (ACU), a temporary facility was required to offer capacity for older adult mental health care for a few years. Additionally, the new construction would need to be easy to repurpose, to help the Trust adapt to the ever-changing needs of the estate.
Careers
CAREERS From design and construction to manufacturing, HR, finance, sales and marketing – there’s a huge variety of skills and experience required for us to do what we do. That means we’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our team and assist us in providing the NHS with the facilities it needs […]
The team
THE TEAM Our people are what make us great, and we’re incredibly proud to have a diverse and multi-skilled, highly experienced team at Darwin Group. And we all share one key desire: to improve healthcare for everyone in the UK.
Our history
OUR HISTORY Founded in 2006, Darwin Group® is a leading provider of modular healthcare facilities in the UK. With innovation and quality at the heart of all we do, we work in partnership with healthcare providers to create outstanding healthcare facilities that are adaptable and fit for the future. Since 2019, we have specialised exclusively […]
Who we are
WHO WE ARE Darwin Group partners with NHS and independent healthcare providers to meet growing service demands by delivering transitional On-Demand® healthcare spaces tailored to both the duration and nature of need. Whether supporting the elective backlog, decanting services, supporting refurbishment, alleviating pressure during periods of high demand, or responding to unexpected surges, our healthcare […]
Resources
RESOURCES From brochures to whitepapers, this is the place to access all of the resources we provide. Every space counts A whitepaper examining the role of NHS estates in delivering a seamless patient pathway. on-demand® primary care Our brochure of On-Demand® products for Primary Care healthcare spaces. Five point plan report A report detailing our […]
Events
EVENTS Darwin Group live events, tours and webinars offer regular opportunities to hear from industry experts on key topics and themes. You can catch up on our recent events below. For information on upcoming events, please email: enquiries@darwingroup.co.uk
Services
BEYOND FOUR WALLS By choosing an On-Demand® solution, you receive more than just a building: you also receive a high-quality service that helps you make the most out of your healthcare facility. Remove avoidable downtime Maximise productivity across your facility No extra strain on existing services SERVICES Workforce insourcing With our workforce insourcing options, you […]
Decant capacity
FAST, PERMANENT-GRADE® SPACES TO KEEP SERVICES RUNNING When healthcare services need to move – planned or unplanned – speed, safety and certainty are critical. We deliver a wide range of On-Demand®, permanent-grade® clinical and non-clinical healthcare facilities to support service decant, enabling continuity of care when existing buildings are unavailable. Estate issues such as repair, […]
Primary Care
ON-DEMAND® PRIMARY CARE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES Add capacity. Boost resilience. Cut backlogs. From additional consultation rooms and fully contained GP surgeries, to dentist surgeries and office spaces, we have clinical and non-clinical On-Demand primary care facilities to suit your needs. All our primary care facilities manufactured in factory environments so can be delivered at pace, for […]
Urgent and Emergency Care
URGENT & EMERGENCY CARE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES Permanent-Grade®. Available to hire. Our permanent-grade®, On-Demand® urgent and emergency care healthcare facilities help you to keep things flowing on your estate, clearing bottlenecks and freeing up valuable bed space. We have designed a fully compliant SDEC, an ambulance handover unit and a patient discharge lounge (see below for […]
Ward accommodation
WARD ACCOMMODATION Permanent-Grade®. Available to hire. You can never have too much patient accommodation, but it can be incredibly difficult to manage the ever-changing requirements of a modern healthcare estate. That’s where our permanent-grade®, On-Demand® patient accommodation comes in. Whether you need decant facilities, long-term ward space, extra intensive care space or accommodation to support a […]
Operating Theatres
ON-DEMAND® ULTRACLEAN OPERATING THEATRES Permanent-Grade®. Available to hire. Looking to add additional surgical services and capacity? Setting up a new, dedicated surgical hub? Or do you need to maintain services during refurbishment? Our On-Demand® Ultraclean Operating Theatres mean you can add vital surgical capacity at pace – without compromising on quality, cost, staff welfare or […]
On-Demand
HEALTHCARE FACILITIES.WHEN YOU NEED.FOR AS LONG AS YOU NEED. With the ever-increasing demands on the healthcare sector, we partner with organisations to ensure their estate can deal with the pressures faced today in a safe and productive environment, whilst being ready to adapt to the evolving future needs of healthcare. From Surgical Hubs and Patient Accommodation to Urgent Care Capacity and GP Surgeries, we provide you with […]
Blog: Why Static Estates Are Failing Winter Care
Every winter, the NHS faces a tidal wave of demand. But while frontline staff stretch to meet it, the buildings they work in stay frozen in time. Static estates—rigid, outdated, and crumbling—are failing to support modern care. And the consequences are felt in every corridor, waiting room, and emergency department across the country. At Darwin Group, we believe infrastructure should be an enabler, not a barrier. So, let’s talk about why static estates are breaking down, and how dynamic, modular solutions can change the game.
Interview: Professor Martin Elliott – On-Demand® Ultraclean Operating Theatres
The Darwin Group On-Demand® Ultraclean Twin Operating Theatre aims to address surgical backlogs and pressure on NHS estates. It offers a permanent-grade, modular facility designed to meet the most stringent clinical standards while being deployable at pace. To explore its impact and potential, we spoke with Professor Martin Elliott, renowned paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Medical Director, TED talker and healthcare lecturer, who recently previewed the new On-Demand twin theatre design, developed and in construction by Darwin Group.
The Breaking Point: So Many Patients, Too Few GPs, and Not Enough Space…
As of April 2025, general practice in England is facing unprecedented pressure. With 63.77 million patients registered and only 28,249 full-time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified GPs, each GP is now responsible for an average of 2,257 patients. This ratio is not just a number – it’s a reflection of the growing strain on a system that is struggling to meet demand.
James Paget Orthopaedic Outpatient Centre – an On-Demand Solution
Following a successful handover from healthcare construction partner Darwin Group®, James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust opened the doors to its new Orthopaedic Outpatient Centre on Thursday 22nd May 2025. The healthcare estates specialist, Darwin Group, delivered and installed an On-Demand® Healthcare Facility for an Orthopaedic Outpatient Centre.
Darwin Group launches On-Demand Ultraclean Operating Theatre to help clear NHS elective backlog
More NHS and private healthcare patients could receive life-changing operations sooner with the launch of the first hireable operating theatre by Darwin Group.
Darwin Group launches solution to ‘corridor care’ as NHS bed occupancy rates exceed optimal levels
NHS figures released today show that bed occupancy rates are exceeding optimal levels for the delivery of safe care, leading to more patients receiving ‘corridor care’. The UK’s healthcare estates specialist, Darwin Group believes their new modular ward could be the solution to reducing the care of patients in clinically inappropriate places.
Thinking Outside the Box: Meeting the Government’s 40,000 Additional Appointments
With Labour pledging to tackle the NHS’s waiting list crisis by delivering 40,000 additional weekly operations, scans, and appointments, the need for rapid, innovative solutions is undeniable. But achieving this ambitious goal requires more than just a promise—it demands a fresh approach.
Mind the Gap: Rethinking Resilience in NHS Estates
As healthcare professionals, suppliers, and—most importantly—patients, we witness the daily strain on the NHS. Alarmingly, four out of six key NHS performance indicators are declining, jeopardising patient safety and risk management, despite the dedicated efforts of the workforce who continue to provide care with limited resources.
Darwin Group Introduces On-Demand Healthcare Infrastructure Solutions to Support the NHS Through Winter Pressures and Beyond
Darwin Group, the UK’s leading healthcare construction specialist, today announced the introduction of a new product set, On-Demand Healthcare Infrastructure Solutions. The solutions are designed to assist the NHS, private, and independent sectors in managing the anticipated winter surge in hospital admissions and primary care visits, addressing evolving future demands and preventing service disruption during estate maintenance and repair.
Home Page
PIONEERING TRANSITIONALON-DEMAND® HEALTHCARE SPACES Darwin Group designs and delivers permanent-grade®, adaptable healthcare facilities that expand capacity, support staff, and enhance the patient experience. We provide the right building, at the right time, for as long as it’s needed. TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE At Darwin Group, we firmly believe every patient should have access to world-leading healthcare facilities […]
What we do
WE DELIVER PERMANENT-GRADE®, TRANSITIONAL HEALTHCARE SPACES With decades of experience, Darwin Group® specialises in designing and delivering transformational healthcare spaces. With vast experience built through the delivery of large, complex healthcare facilities, we are pioneering a new, innovative approach called On-Demand®. Built off-site, these permanent-grade®, transitional facilities provide the right building, at the right time, […]
Sustainability
MEETING NET ZERO TARGETS As Darwin Group manage the entire process – from concept to completion, we have direct interventions in place to decarbonise our construction approach. MEETING NET ZERO TARGETS As Darwin Group manage the entire process – from concept to completion, we have direct interventions in place to decarbonise our construction approach. REDUCING […]