Key takeaways from Healthcare Estates 2026

Last week, the Ingram team spent two days at Healthcare Estates 2026 at Manchester Central, meeting estates and facilities professionals from NHS trusts, private healthcare providers and care organisations across the UK.

It was a brilliant event, and a valuable chance to hear first-hand about the challenges and priorities shaping healthcare estates right now. Here are our key takeaways from the show.

1. Ageing infrastructure is the number one concern

This year's conference theme was "Mind the Gap: Are we heading for a two-tier estate?" On our stand, that gap showed up most clearly in ageing equipment. Many of the estates teams we spoke to are working with generators and electrical infrastructure that have been in place for decades, often supporting sites that look very different from when the systems were first installed.

The message was clear: replacement and upgrade planning can't wait until something fails. The sites in the strongest position are those that plan well ahead, with a clear picture of the condition and remaining life of their equipment.

It was encouraging to hear that £95bn of the £119bn committed over the next 10 years will be allocated across the wider estate. We hope that money starts to flow quickly.

2. Electrical demand is growing faster than systems can keep up

New diagnostic equipment, expanding IT, electrification of heating and EV charging are all adding to the electrical load on healthcare sites. Several visitors told us they weren't confident their backup power had kept pace with these changes.

For us, this reinforced how important it is to review generator sizing regularly, especially after new builds, extensions or major equipment changes.

3. Fix the basics first

A recurring message across the conference was the need to fix the basics before deploying advanced AI tools on top of fractured data or failing infrastructure.

Backup power is about as basic as it gets. HTM 06-01 compliance was a frequent topic of conversation on our stand, particularly around testing regimes and record keeping. Estates teams are under growing pressure to show clear evidence that their emergency power systems will perform when needed.

Good documentation helps with more than passing an audit. It also gives estates teams the evidence they need to make the case for investment when budgets are tight.

4. Budgets are tight, so planning is everything

Almost every conversation came back to funding. Capital budgets are stretched, and estates teams are having to prioritise carefully. Resilient facilities are critical, which makes a planned, preventative approach to maintenance and replacement more

valuable than ever. Reactive repairs and emergency call-outs almost always cost more in the long run.

5. Collaboration and the next generation of engineers

One of the most encouraging things about the show was the spirit of collaboration. Estates teams, suppliers and specialists all share the same goal: safe, resilient healthcare buildings that support patient care.

The conference closed with a call to action to recruit and train the next generation of healthcare engineers. At Ingram, we are creating a training facility for exactly that purpose, for the benefit of our own engineers and the wider industry. If you're interested, please speak to us.

6. What our customers told us

For us, the highlight of the show was catching up with existing customers, and it was humbling to hear how pleased they are with the service they receive. The same points came up again and again:

• We're always available, 24/7, and always friendly and approachable.

• We react quickly to issues and call-outs, and get them solved without any fuss or stress for the customer.

• Our installations are neat, tidy and finished to a high standard, and if something does go wrong, we just get it sorted.

Hearing that face to face meant a great deal to everyone on the stand. Being approachable, friendly and always there for our customers is the standard we hold ourselves to, and we'll keep working to it.

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who visited us on stand B1, and to the Healthcare Estates team for organising such a fantastic event. The conversations we had will help shape how we support estates teams over the coming year.

If we met at the show, we'll be in touch soon. And if you'd like to talk through your site's backup power, from testing and maintenance to upgrades and replacements, get in touch with our team.

You may also find our article useful: Is your healthcare site's backup power ready? 5 questions every estates team should ask.