Delivering Neighbourhood Health Services Requires Intervention with the Social Care Sector

Care England has responded to the Government’s announcement on the introduction of neighbourhood health services, noting the potential benefits of more locally coordinated care but stressing that success will depend entirely on how the programme is funded and delivered.

The plans aim to bring health and care closer to people’s homes, starting with the most deprived areas in England. While the ambition to tackle health inequalities is clear, Care England notes that many of these challenges cannot be addressed without sustained investment. This must go hand in hand with genuine collaboration and cross-sector working, ensuring that social care is embedded throughout the design and delivery of these neighbourhood health services.

Care England recognises the opportunity this initiative presents to strengthen links between health and care services at a local level. However, it is vital that the social care sector is not overlooked in the implementation of neighbourhood teams, as the sector must be a strategic partner, not a peripheral stakeholder. Care England stresses that the right amount must be ringfenced for social care so the sector can safely and properly support care in the community in the settings that people should expect.

Crucially, there remains a lack of clarity on how the programme will be funded, who will lead delivery locally, and how it will scale. Without answers to these questions, and a clear commitment to adequate funding, there is a risk that these reforms will not meet expectations.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, commented:
“There is potential in the Government’s plan to bring services closer to the people who need them, but this will only be realised if social care is recognised as a full and equal partner from the start, as too often, care is treated as an afterthought in integrated models. We need assurance that the funding is there, the leadership is in place, and that the voice of social care is embedded in delivery.”