Neighbourhood Health - the future of health care where you live
We are changing the way care is delivered so it works better for people who live in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Right now, many people need to deal with lots of different services to get support with their health and wellbeing. This is even worse if you have one or more long-term conditions and need more care. Sometimes, people get help too late, when things reach crisis point – for example, when cancer is first diagnosed in A&E rather than earlier through local services.
We are changing that, but it will take time.
We have ambitious plans to transform local services to move more towards providing preventative and proactive care to suit people's individual needs. This will help to keep people out of hospital and living longer in good health.
Working closely in partnership with councils and the voluntary sector, the new Neighbourhood Health approach will also move care closer to home, so it’s easier to see all the different healthcare services locally, instead of visiting a hospital.
Put simply, Neighbourhood Health will offer proactive, personal, and truly prevention-focused care in the local community.
At its heart, Neighbourhood Health means all services working together at a very local level so that people get the right support and care, from the right professionals, at the right time and place. This includes services provided by councils and the voluntary sector.
The vision, set out in the government’s 10-Year Health Plan, aims to:
- Strengthen the support systems available in our communities.
- Connect people to a wider range of services that support their wellbeing.
- Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
At the core of this approach are Integrated Neighbourhood teams, (multi agency teams) which includes professionals from the local GP practice, social care, hospitals, mental health and community services, local authority public health and voluntary and community partners all working together side by side within local neighbourhoods.
Care will be organised at neighbourhood level through integrated neighbourhood teams. These teams bring together professionals such as:
- GPs and practice teams
- community nurses and therapists
- social workers
- mental health specialists
- voluntary and community sector partners
By working as one team, services can:
- spot problems earlier
- coordinate care better
- reduce the need for repeated appointments
- help people stay well and independent for longer
Adopting this way of partnership working in integrated neighbourhood teams puts citizens and patients and their communities at the centre of what we do, empowering them, and enabling care and support to be tailored to each person’s needs with wider support of integrated team members helping people stay well, independent, and supported where they live.
Neighbourhood Health includes any service that serves the public in providing health and care. Whether it's the NHS, the local Council or voluntary sector - everyone can be involved in this new approach.
Services such as:
- GPs and practice teams
- community nurses and therapists
- social workers
- mental health specialists
- voluntary and community sector partners
But more than that- Neighbourhood Health encourages systems and teams to look at the health of the whole community, not just people with existing problems. We also aim to address underlying issues such as poor housing, social isolation and loneliness, before they become bigger problems. By working within local communities we can design interventions and create personalised care plans that promote self-care and independence for individuals who need it, before physical or emotional ill health becomes a problem.
Neighbourhood Health includes any service that serves the public in providing health and care. Whether it's the NHS, the Council or voluntary sector - everyone can be involved in this new approach.
Services such as:
- GPs and practice teams
- community nurses and therapists
- social workers
- mental health specialists
- voluntary and community sector partners
But more than that- Neighbourhood Health encourages systems and teams to look at the health of the whole community, not just people with existing problems. We also aim to address underlying issues, such as poor housing, social isolation and loneliness, before they become bigger problems. By working within local communities, we can design interventions and create personalised care plans that promote self-care and independence for individuals who need it, before physical or emotional ill health becomes a problem.
We’re doing some great work in this space already, such as joint working by hospital discharge teams, adult social care, housing, and NHS community services to get older people home quicker, for their recovery - and focusing on Neighbourhood Health will make this even better.
Herefordshire has been selected as one of several counties to adopt the Neighbourhood Health Teams approach, with full national rollout due in 2027.
For this to be truly successful we need everyone involved – residents, carers, community groups, charities, health professionals and local services all working towards healthier, more connected communities.
Across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, we are:
- Defining neighbourhoods - Working with local partners to agree neighbourhood areas that reflect how people actually live and use services.
- Building the foundations - Starting to develop the buildings, digital systems, workforce and ways of measuring what works.
- Shaping the model locally - Engaging residents, staff and community groups to design what neighbourhood health looks like in each place will be key to this.
- Supporting local leadership - Place-based partnerships lead this work, so it reflects local needs and priorities.
- Engaging staff - Neighbourhoods are places where clinical, social, economic and community factors are all interconnected. To work in this new way, staff in neighbourhood teams need to share insights and coordinate joined-up care in a more blended way – creating personalised, holistic care plans for individuals which address their medical, social and emotional needs.
