Neighbourhood Health

Neighbourhood Health: What It Is and How the Voluntary & Community Sector Can Shape Its Future

The NHS is undergoing one of the most significant shifts in its history. As part of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, the government and NHS England are developing a Neighbourhood Health Service, a model designed to bring care closer to home, strengthen prevention, and deliver joined-up support across health, social care, and communities. 

Neighbourhood Health is more than a restructure; it’s a re-imagining of how communities, professionals and voluntary organisations work together to support healthier, longer lives. 

What Is Neighbourhood Health? 

Neighbourhood Health is a new approach that moves care out of hospitals and into local communities, making services more preventative, personalised, and coordinated.
The shift is urgently needed because more people are living with multiple and complex longterm conditions, and current services are too fragmented, slow and siloed. The aim is to deliver more care at home or closer to home, improve access and experience, and enable the sustainability of the wider health and social care system. 

Core Principles of Neighbourhood Health 

Neighbourhood Health is built around: 

• Integrated teams: linking GPs, nurses, social care, mental health, and community support. 

• Community-centred prevention: tackling the building blocks of health such as housing, work, debt, and social isolation. 

• Stronger local partnerships: involving local authorities, health providers, and voluntary and community groups. 

• More care close to home: reducing reliance on hospitals and supporting people earlier. 

• Greater local flexibility: allowing neighbourhoods to tailor models to their needs.  

The NHS cannot deliver prevention and tackle inequalities alone, strong partnerships with community organisations are required. Some of the opportunities for the voluntary sector include:- 

• Codesigning Neighbourhood Health Centres and Services by helping to shape services, bring in community voices and support co-location of community programmes 

• Being part of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams by offering specialist support in mental health, housing, carers’ services, family support, or financial wellbeing 

• Strengthening prevention and early intervention to deliver activities that reduce isolation and support lifestyle change 

• Contributing to governance and local decision making 

What has HIVCA been doing in this space? 

HIVCA leadership committee are a member of the Hampshire & IOW Neighbourhood Health Transformation board, advocating for the role of the voluntary sector in shaping and delivering neighbourhood health.  VCSE representatives on the health and wellbeing boards are championing community voice in the emerging neighbourhood health plans.