Rollout has begun of the first 27 neighbourhood health centres.

The health centres will bring more services into the community and should provide patients with improved healthcare closer to home.

The centres will include urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services. Over time, they will expand to include debt advice, employment and family support and other voluntary sector support. They will be open 12 hours a day, six days a week.

The first 27 will be open by 2027, followed by another 23, all backed by £200 million to upgrade existing buildings.

The government has pledged to open 250 by 2036, with the first 120 open by 2030.

Neighbour health services will provide end-to-end care and tailored support, looking beyond the condition at wider causes of health issues to the specific individual, helping avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, prevent complications and end the frustration of being passed around the system.

Health Minister, Stephen Kinnock said: "This government is transforming healthcare, so the NHS works around the lives of patients – not vice versa.

"We’re rolling out neighbourhood health centres across the country by repurposing and improving local buildings, first targeting the communities that need them most. These one-stop-shops will help end the maze of referrals and repeated conversations, treating not just poor health but the causes of it too.

"As we rebuild our NHS, our mission is to shift more healthcare into the community, while delivering easier access to care, improved outcomes for patients and better value for money for the taxpayer."

Claire Fuller, NHS England’s national medical director, said: "Neighbourhood health centres will make it easier for people, particularly working-class communities, to access more joined up care closer to home.

"By bringing GP services together with a wider range of tailored support, we can help people to get the right care more quickly, close to home, while avoiding unnecessary trips to hospital."