Building Strong Local Partnerships for Better Healthcare Delivery

As the NHS shifts towards a neighbourhood-based model of healthcare, general practices must adapt to new collaborative frameworks and strengthen local relationships

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Ockham Healthcare

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There is growing momentum within the NHS towards focusing on “neighbourhoods” as the next key area of development. The new government has made multiple references to creating a “neighbourhood health service,” a shift that signals significant changes to the way healthcare is delivered at the local level.

For practices, this transformation could bring about changes in how care is delivered, with more emphasis on community outreach, preventive care and managing patients holistically within their own neighbourhoods. Practices may need to adjust to new models of care that integrate services across multiple sectors and work collaboratively in local partnerships.

Focus on Building Community Relationships

Neighbourhood working is fundamentally built on strong local relationships. Much like the effective collaboration within Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which depends on trust and partnership between practices, successful neighbourhood-based healthcare requires similar cooperation across various organisations. These connections take time to develop, so investing in them early will lead to significant benefits down the line, fostering stronger, more effective partnerships for the future.

Strengthen Cooperative Working

General practice will continue to play a crucial role in neighbourhood working. As a collective group of GP practices within a neighbourhood, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will be essential in shaping how healthcare is delivered locally. While it may be tempting for practices to focus solely on core service delivery and step back from PCN collaboration, doing so would weaken the cohesion of local general practice and diminish its influence within the emerging neighbourhood health models.

Implementing At-Scale Support

GP federations have had fluctuating support over the past decade, but a key theme emerging from discussions about neighbourhood health (including the Fuller report) is the need for at-scale support. This support could come from either general practice (e.g., a federation) or an NHS/local authority organisation. If general practice wants to have a say in how neighbourhoods develop while maintaining its independent contractor status, a local federation could play a key role in integrating services. However, to make this work, local PCNs and practices must actively support the federation now, ensuring it’s ready to take on this role when the time comes.

In conclusion, the shift towards neighbourhood-based healthcare presents both challenges and opportunities for general practice. As the NHS moves towards a more integrated, community-focused model, practices must embrace collaboration within their Primary Care Networks and with other local organisations. By building strong relationships now and supporting the development of local federations, general practice can ensure it remains central to the delivery of healthcare in neighbourhoods.