Creating a Neighbourhood Health Service in Essex

Beverley Flowers, Executive Director of Neighbourhood Health for Essex, discusses emerging plans to improve access to more joined-up care closer to home.

Neighbourhood health is about making it easier for people to get care and support closer to home, helping people stay well and get support earlier before problems become more serious.

Across Essex, people can still face long waits, fragmented services and differences in health outcomes depending on where they live. Too often, care is reactive rather than preventative.

Neighbourhood health aims to change this by bringing together NHS services, councils, voluntary organisations and community groups to provide more joined-up care in local communities. This could include GP services, wider primary care services, mental health support, community nursing, rehabilitation and wellbeing services working more closely together around people’s needs.

There is no “one size fits all” approach. Different communities will need different solutions depending on local needs, geography and existing services. The aim is to create a connected network of local services that improves access, supports prevention and provides more care closer to home.

As national plans for Neighbourhood Health Centres continue to develop, we know local partners and communities will have questions about what this could mean for Essex. The below frequently asked questions explain the current national guidance, what we know so far, and how local partners and communities will continue to be involved as plans evolve.

Neighbourhood Health Centres are a new model of delivering joined-up health and care services closer to where people live. They aim to bring together GP services, community services and in some cases urgent care, diagnostics and outpatient activity in one place, alongside wider support such as social care, public health and voluntary sector services. 

Neighbourhood Health Centres are about creating a connected network of local health services, not just individual buildings or one-off projects. The range of local services will reflect local population need. 

Not every development proposal will deliver the full range of Neighbourhood Health Centre services. Different models may be needed in different communities depending on local need, geography, estate opportunities and existing services. 

Some services may be delivered through smaller local neighbourhood hubs, while others may be provided through larger centres serving wider populations. The aim is to make sure services are designed around the needs of local communities, rather than applying the same model everywhere. Nationally, the terminology used for the different models is below:  

  • Core – Smaller local neighbourhood services that provide day-to-day care closer to where people live, such as GP services, community nursing and support from local health and care teams.  
     
  • Core+ – A larger neighbourhood hub offering a broader range of services for a wider local population, potentially including diagnostics, mental health support or outpatient clinics alongside core services.  
     
  • Core++ – A major neighbourhood health anchor site serving multiple neighbourhoods, bringing together a wider range of NHS, community and partner services in one place. These sites are intended to support more complex or higher-volume services while still keeping care closer to home. 

Neighbourhood Health Centres are a core part of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and support three national shifts: 

  • From hospital to community care 
  • From analogue to digital services 
  • From treating sickness to preventing ill health 

They are designed to improve access, create more seamless, joined-up care and support earlier intervention. 

NHS Essex is required to: 

  • Develop and submit a pipeline of potential Neighbourhood Health Centre schemes 
  • Work with partners to identify priority locations and models 
  • Ensure proposals are aligned to local population needs and system strategy 

It is important to remember this is an early strategic planning stage rather than a final commitment to funding, investment or delivery. The national ask is intended to help systems test direction and opportunity, not confirm specific schemes at this stage. 

The submission is about setting a direction for the future. Detailed decisions about services, investment and delivery will be developed over time with local partners and communities involved throughout. 

No. The national request for systems to submit a pipeline of potential Neighbourhood Health Centres is an early planning exercise to test direction, opportunity and strategic fit. 

At this stage, proposals are not commitments to funding, construction or delivery. The focus is on developing a credible long-term strategy for how more care can be provided closer to home over time. 

In Essex, we have started by identifying five possible larger neighbourhood health hubs across the county. These help us think about what services may be needed in different areas and how they could work together. They are not the full solution and do not replace the need for smaller local neighbourhood services closer to communities. 

Not every proposal will deliver the full Neighbourhood Health Centre model, and that is expected. At this stage, the priority is developing a clear plan for how care can gradually become more joined-up, preventative and community-based over time. 

In areas with the greatest need, this approach may include a mix of larger hubs and wider community programmes, such as Pride in Place and Health on the High Street. The focus is on improving how people access care and support, not simply where buildings are located. 

In many cases, existing health facilities could evolve to become Neighbourhood Health Centres over time, rather than entirely new buildings being created.

Neighbourhood Health Centres are defined more by how services work together than by the building itself. Essex already has many health facilities where services are co-located, but they do not always operate in the fully integrated way intended within the Neighbourhood Health Centre model.

The aim is to create more joined-up, neighbourhood-based care through:

  • More efficient use of estate (target around 80% room utilisation)
  • Better team-based working across organisations
  • More coordinated, personalised care

For residents, Neighbourhood Health Centres aim to: 

  • Improve access to a wider range of services closer to home 
  • Reduce the need to travel to hospital 
  • Provide more joined-up, person-centred care 
  • Support prevention and earlier intervention 

In some areas, improvements may come through a combination of neighbourhood hubs, community facilities and wider place-based programmes rather than a single standalone building.

Neighbourhood Health Centres are intended to complement and strengthen existing services, not replace them. Some services may shift into neighbourhood settings over time (“left shift”), but hospitals and GP practices will continue to play a vital role.

All Neighbourhood Health Centres are expected to operate a minimum of: 

  • 8am to 8pm 
  • 6 days per week 

This supports improved access and better use of facilities. 

A key requirement is integration beyond the NHS. Neighbourhood Health Centres will work alongside: 

  • Local authority services (e.g. social care, housing) 
  • Public health teams 
  • Voluntary, community and faith sector organisations 
  • Employment and wellbeing support services 

This reflects a broader approach to improving health outcomes. 

In areas with the greatest health inequalities, this may also connect to wider regeneration and community programmes such as Pride in Place and Health on the High Street initiatives. 

There is no new national funding stream specifically for Neighbourhood Health Centres. Health and care systems must fund developments through: 

  • Existing allocations and demand growth funding 
  • Releasing value from existing estate 

Benefits from shifting care out of hospital 

The service or building needs to be used a lot (around 80% of the time) so it represents good value for money. 

It is expected that ongoing costs will need to be funded from existing budgets. 

  • May 2026: Each local area has been asked to submit initial proposals 
  • Summer 2026: National pipeline agreed 
  • 2027–28: Upgrade schemes (where funded) begin delivery 
  • 2030–31 earliest: First round of new build Neighbourhood Health Centres become operational 
  • By 2035: Up to 250 NHCs nationally (120 by 2030) 

Detailed service design, investment decisions and delivery planning will happen over time and will involve local places, partners and communities as proposals develop further.