TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for neighbourhood health and the development of care closer to home in England, including the practical implications for patients, providers, commissioners, the workforce and local partners.
Areas for discussion include neighbourhood health model development and implementation, workforce requirements and coordination, commissioning, finance and investment, estates and infrastructure, digital capability, prevention and public health approaches, patient access and continuity of care, as well as partnership working across health, social care and the voluntary sector.
The discussion follows the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Neighbourhood Health Framework published in March, and implementation through the current National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, alongside the recently published 10 Year Capital Plan for Health and Social Care, with its investment in neighbourhood health facilities. With ambitions to shift more care from hospitals into the community through integrated neighbourhood teams and local health centres, there will be discussion on questions around service capacity, funding and workforce requirements, the relationship with existing provision, and how different local models will affect access, continuity and quality of care.
Overall, it will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess the implications of the developing national approach for different systems, services and communities, the readiness of local organisations, and the practical, financial and workforce conditions needed for workable neighbourhood models.
The agenda will consider responsibilities across healthcare teams, including the evolving role of primary care within multidisciplinary neighbourhood models, and how more care can practically be delivered in community settings. Approaches to measuring outcomes and demonstrating impact will be discussed, alongside barriers and uncertainties emerging from local implementation, and where national or local arrangements may need further clarity as neighbourhood health plans develop.
Leadership, governance & finance
The agenda will examine local approaches to neighbourhood health service design following the Neighbourhood Health Framework, including how integrated neighbourhood teams are organised and led, implications for participating organisations, and the finance, commissioning, accountability and estates arrangements needed to enable workable and sustainable local models.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- policy & implementation: NHS 10 Year Health Plan priorities - timelines, scope and responsibilities for local delivery - areas requiring clarification as plans develop
- local models: determining workable arrangements for different local circumstances - varying levels of readiness, service capacity and infrastructure - scope for local flexibility
- integrated neighbourhood teams: leadership and organisation - multidisciplinary working across organisational boundaries - continuity of care with social care and VCSE partners
- governance & accountability: leadership capacity - cross-sector collaboration - assessing quality, outcomes and impact through transition - accountability where responsibility is shared
- primary care: role of GP practices in neighbourhood models - access and continuity of care - patient choice and experience - co-designing services with patients and communities
- provider implications: effects on primary, community and acute services - transfer of activity, funding and clinical responsibility - capacity, viability and relationships between providers
- workforce: staff distribution in primary, community and acute services - recruitment, retention and leadership pipelines - workload, professional roles and supervision implications
- finance & commissioning: ICB budgets and incentives - commissioning arrangements - funding and investment options - revenue and capital requirements - allocation of financial risk
- estates & infrastructure: Capital Plan priorities - investment in neighbourhood health centres - aligning estates planning with population need and digitally-enabled care - implications for existing facilities
Prevention, local needs & innovation
Further sessions will consider the potential contribution and limitations of neighbourhood approaches in supporting prevention and earlier intervention, how models can respond to local needs without widening inequalities, and the implications of digital tools, local data and emerging technology for patients, staff and service providers.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- prevention models: identifying people at risk before crisis point - early support services and community hubs - coordination with public health functions - evidence of effectiveness, capacity and resourcing
- health inequalities: improving outcomes for communities experiencing poorer health outcomes - wider determinants including housing and employment - distributional effects - allowing for local variation
- community partnerships: addressing siloed working across health, social care and VCSE sectors - organisational capacity and independence - sustainable funding, contracting and full-cost recovery
- digital infrastructure: interoperability between systems - information-sharing arrangements - use of data to support decision-making - implementation costs - cyber security - information governance
- data and evaluation: identifying priorities and tailoring services using population health intelligence - developing comparable measures, attributing outcomes and demonstrating impact
- digital inclusion: keeping digital approaches accessible across patient groups - addressing digital exclusion - patient choice, assisted access and alternatives to digital channels
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; HM Prison and Probation Service; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Office for Investment; and The Scottish Government.
