The UK Government has published its Neighbourhood Health Framework, setting out how health and care services in England will be reorganised around local communities as part of wider NHS reform.
“A thriving health service in every community has always been in reach, but the conditions needed to make this a truly universal offer haven’t aligned until now,” it reads in the framework.
The framework is designed to support the transition towards a “neighbourhood health service”, bringing together NHS providers, local authorities and community organisations to deliver more coordinated care closer to home.
It forms part of the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, with a focus on three system-wide shifts: moving care from hospitals into the community, prioritising prevention over treatment and increasing the use of digital technologies.
What are the foundations of the framework?
Under the framework, integrated care boards and local authorities will be expected to jointly develop neighbourhood-based models of care, tailored to local population needs.
These models will bring together services spanning primary care, community health, mental health, social care and the voluntary sector.
The framework emphasises the creation of multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams to support people with complex or long-term conditions and expanded access to community-based services such as urgent care, virtual wards and home-based treatment.
It also highlights the role of data and digital infrastructure in identifying at-risk populations, improving care coordination and enabling earlier intervention.
Health systems are being asked to strengthen core components of neighbourhood health during 2025/26, including improving access to general practice, enhancing continuity of care and scaling innovation.
The government said the approach aims to create healthier communities, reduce health inequalities and help people live independently for longer, while easing demand on acute hospital services.
The framework will be supported by aligned funding and planning mechanisms, including reforms to programmes such as the Better Care Fund, to encourage closer integration between health and social care at a local level.
In the bigger picture, the framework builds on wider NHS reform commitments, including plans set out in the Autumn Budget to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres and expand community-based care.