The government begins phase 1 of its 10 Year Health Plan, launching 42 pioneer neighbourhood health services in deprived areas to support those with complex needs at home
In a significant step toward transforming community care, the UK government has unveiled the first wave of neighbourhood health services aimed at bringing more personalised and preventative healthcare directly into local communities. These new services are part of the comprehensive 10 Year Health Plan, which includes initiatives to improve hospital care, mental health services, and public health, and is designed to support people with complex needs more effectively and reduce reliance on hospitals by delivering more integrated care closer to home.
Deprived communities will benefit from new health services
The scheme will support people living in the most deprived areas to access neighbourhood health services, making care more convenient and reducing health inequalities. It is a vital part of the 10 Year Health Plan, which aims to bring NHS care closer to home and help patients avoid unnecessary hospital trips.
One example is Team Up Derbyshire, an initiative that links GPs, social workers, home carers, and nurses to support people who need care in their own homes, bringing the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS.
The government is calling on health chiefs and local authority chief executives to join hands with local health and care providers, voluntary groups, and community members. Together, they can accelerate the rollout of services across the country. They have been asked to submit applications outlining examples of joined-up working and innovation in their areas to join Phase 1 of the Neighbourhood Health Programme.
This will prepare local partnerships to take on responsibility for more neighbourhood services in their area. It will see successful applicants join an intensive national coaching programme over the summer, including major workshop days that bring together experts, GPs, their teams, patients, the voluntary sector, and local authorities.
If we are to get patients cared for more quickly, on their doorstep, and even in their own homes, then we need to shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community.
Today, we are issuing an open invitation to local authorities and health services to become pioneers in neighbourhood health services and lead the charge in healthcare reform.
As part of our Plan for Change, we’re beginning the Neighbourhood Health Service in areas of greatest need first, to tackle the unfair health inequalities that blight our country.”
Neighbourhood health centres will alleviate NHS pressures
From September 2025, the first 42 sites will then immediately start rolling out their neighbourhood health programmes, with clear guidance, support and metrics to report on regularly. The services will be available in areas where the NHS has the fewest GPs, the worst-performing services, and the longest waits. People in working-class areas and coastal towns spend more of their lives in ill health, and life expectancy among women with the lowest incomes has fallen in recent years, after decades of progress.
Eventually, these neighbourhood health centres will be open 12 hours a day, six days a week within local communities, and will bring hospital-based services into the community. The centres will also offer comprehensive support with debt, employment, smoking and weight management, ensuring that the community’s holistic health needs are met.
