Neighbourhood healthcare: A local solution to a national challenge

We’re reshaping how we think about healthcare, everywhere.

Bringing care locally to people is at the centre of this change – it is what we call place-based service provision. With this approach, neighbourhood health models are gaining momentum.

HEALTH STARTS IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

There’s an increasing understanding about how your health is influenced not just by where you live but also the communities you’re a part of.

Neighbourhood healthcare should have a proactive and preventative focus, aiming to reach people before they reach crisis point. A recent example is the introduction of ‘community health and wellbeing workers’. Non-clinically trained professionals have been embedded into local communities, going door-to-door to identify the broader social factors affecting health (including housing, employment or social isolation). By connecting individuals with the right services, a more holistic approach to care is being created.

This isn’t just a theory – it’s already working. Westminster was the first UK area to pilot this, resulting in a 10% drop in hospital admissions. In Southwest London, urgent community response teams are delivering care within two hours at patients’ homes, minimising demand on hospitals and making for a more comfortable experience for the patient. There are so many ways the neighbourhood healthcare concept can be adopted and brought to life, all with the common theme of delivering more care closer to home.

WAITING ISN’T WORKING

This shift couldn’t come at a more critical time. The NHS is under immense strain, with over 5 million patients waiting more than two weeks for a GP appointment. There’s a growing appetite to rethink how care is delivered. Neighbourhood healthcare represents a bold, transformational opportunity.

Addressing the broader determinants of health, such as housing and employment, is essential in reducing health disparities in the UK. This model offers a new way to do just that, by meeting people where they’re at and tailoring support to their specific needs.

FROM PILOT TO POLICY

Of course, scaling this sort of model is not without its challenges.

• Scalability: While pilots have shown success, they often benefit from more funding and smaller caseloads. Can the same results be achieved nationwide, especially in rural or underserved areas? Caseloads could be mixed to blend populations with varying needs. Funding could also be applied differentially based on local demand.
• Equity: There’s a risk of creating a postcode lottery, where some neighbourhoods receive better care than others. How do we ensure the model is flexible enough to adapt to local needs while still maintaining fairness? Funding should align with needs based on what the data says – which doesn’t always exist.
• Integration: Bridging the gap between clinical care and community support means working in partnership with local authorities, voluntary organisations and charities—this is never easy. This demands a workforce skillset rooted as much in coordination and navigation as in clinical treatment. Adopting approaches more commonly used in social care could help bridge this integration challenge.

We don’t need to test whether the model works–we already know it does. Scaling effectively, without losing the place-based and local community approach, is the challenge.

“If scalable funding models can be found, this has the potential to transform societal outcomes beyond just health. It is a great example of taking an integrated view of people, place and care, looking beyond simply treatment.” Nick Kennel, Public Sector Lead

THE MOMENT FOR CHANGE

For health leaders, this is a huge moment of opportunity. Neighbourhood healthcare cannot be treated as a side project. It requires investment, the right digital infrastructure, and a workforce equipped to deliver care in new ways.

The NHS is in a unique position to collaborate with partners to work towards greater integration of public services – bringing them to people’s front doors. But this must be done in partnership with communities and partners – understanding and collaborating with existing local services is key to sustainable success.