The government has launched the first phase of its 10 Year Health Plan, by starting to bring care closer to home and providing better support for those with complex conditions.
Having written to health chiefs and local authorities, the government is urging them to team up with local health and care providers, voluntary groups and members of their communities to accelerate the rollout of these services across the country.Team Up in Derbyshire, for example, is an initiative which links up GPs, social workers, home carers and nurses to support people who need care in their own homes.
Health and local authority leaders have been asked to submit applications, giving examples where services could link together, as part of phase one of the neighbourhood health programme to prepare local partnerships to take on responsibility for more neighbourhood services in their area. Successful applicants will join an intensive national coaching programme over the summer, which includes major workshop days that bring together experts, GPs, and their teams, patients, the voluntary sector and local authorities.
From September, the first 42 sites will start rolling out their neighbourhood health programmes, with clear guidance, support and metrics to report on regularly. NHS England and the department will work with over 40 places across the country and ensure each region is covered, with a particular focus on working-class areas where healthy life expectancy is lowest.
Additionally, a joint taskforce has been set up between the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to drive progress, chaired by Sir John Oldham and made up of NHS leaders, local authority bosses, and other key figures from the voluntary sector and health and care organisations.
Health centres will also be set up that house holistic teams including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics. Community health workers and volunteers will also play a pivotal role in these teams, which eventually will be accessible 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Our 10 Year Health Plan committed to building a Neighbourhood Health Service, and we’re hitting the ground running on delivering it.
“If we are to get patients cared for faster, on their doorstep and even in their own home, then we need to shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community.
“Today, we are issuing an open invitation to local authorities and health services to become pioneer neighbourhood health services and lead the charge of healthcare reform.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we’re beginning the Neighbourhood Health Service in areas of greatest need first, to tackle the unfair health inequalities that blight our country.”
