As reported by National Health Executive, from September, new neighbourhood health teams will bring doctors, nurses, pharmacists and social care staff together to make care more personal, easier to access, and closer to home
A £10 million programme is set to launch this month, beginning with the first wave spanning from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to Sunderland, ensuring nationwide coverage. Initially, the programme will focus on supporting people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, angina, high blood pressure, MS and epilepsy – particularly in areas with high deprivation. As the initiative grows, it will expand to support other priority groups.
Spanning diagnostics, mental health, rehabilitation, outpatient clinics, nursing and social care, the initiative’s purpose is to bring health and care services together, so they are better coordinated and easier to access for local communities. Oversight in each area will come from a dedicated programme lead, who will be responsible for building neighbourhood health teams.
These neighbourhood teams will be anchored in General Practice but enhanced by a wide network of professionals. Among them will be hospital consultants, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, paramedics, social care staff, social prescribing link workers and partners from both local authorities and the voluntary sector.
From 2026, new voluntary contracts will give general practices the option of operating as neighbourhood providers serving roughly 50,000 people, or as multi-neighbourhood providers serving populations of around 250,000.
Working collectively, they will provide seamless, personalised support that helps patients manage their conditions, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and find their way more easily through the system.
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