The term ‘neighbourhood’ when used in reference to health and care, often suggests a collective, cross-sector and/or community approach. We investigate the latest updates connected to the NHS / DHSC’s Neighbourhood Heath Policy, what it might mean for adult social care providers, and what’s needed to unlock the digital systems and processes that will help make it a reality.
Social care is central to understanding health needs and preventing escalation, supporting people to live well. Expect an in-depth conversation that explores many themes, including the need for stronger partnerships; better digital interoperability and information sharing; how social care can be an equal player in the health and care landscape; and finding clear routes of communication.
Access the slides from the webinar
Webinar Summary
Speakers / Presenters
Chair: Fiona Florey, Digital Care Hub
Introduction: Michelle Corrigan, CEO, Digital Care Hub
Caroline Day, Policy Lead – Health and Social Care Integration, Department of Health and Social Care
Melanie Weatherley, Co-chair, Care Association Alliance, Chair, Lincolnshire Care Association
Louise Bestwick, Chief Executive, Bradford Care Association
Claire Kennedy, Joint Chief Executive, PPL
Thank you to the presenters and speakers for joining us as part of this webinar.
Key messages from this webinar:
- Social care holds some of the richest, earliest insight into people’s changing needs.
- Lack of insight can mean services are disconnected and poor (often digital) interoperability impacts on progress and decision-making.
- There is a significant opportunity for a neighbourhood health to result in earlier intervention, better coordination, fewer crises, and more person-centred care closer to home.
- Success could depend on practical change like efficient and safe shared data, provider involvement in local decision-making, funding and contracts that recognise coordination work and digital readiness across the sector.
Highlights from a national policy perspective
- An update on the Neighbourhood Health Framework was shared.
- Neighbourhood health is about coordinating services around people and local populations, and that adult social care must have a place in planning and delivery.
- Integrated care boards are developing plans with wider consultation on delivery models and contractual arrangements expected later in the year.
- Neighbourhood health centres could help make collaboration more efficient.
- Digital and data sharing as seen as critical enablers.
- Implementation will be incremental, while organisational boundaries, workforce culture, and digital infrastructure evolve.
What neighbourhood heath could mean for providers?
“Neighbourhood working is not new, but the current neighbourhood health agenda risks overlooking the existing contribution of care providers if their role is not properly understood.” Melanie Weatherley
A balance of focus between NHS requirements and targets, and the individual needs of the person would be the best result.
There are opportunities for providers to get involved through local care associations, health and wellbeing boards, and local neighbourhood planning processes.
Recognition that social care providers are often experts in supporting frailty, care home residents, housebound people and should be part of the solution to urgent and emergency care pressures.
Improvement of digital coordination could make a significant difference, including visibility of practical movements like ambulance arrivals and discharges, and the impact of shared records.
Insight from a neighbourhood health pilot area – Bradford in Practice
Bradford Care Association has been involved from the outset and holds a seat at key strategic and operational forums, enabling provider input into planning and delivery.
The local model is built around integrated neighbourhoods, proactive care teams, and a team-of-teams approach focused on person-centred care closer to home.
It outlined practical work in Bradford to align providers to neighbourhood footprints and involve home care, care homes, and extra care services more systematically in MDTs.
Bradford reflected that there are two major roles for social care: contributing to multidisciplinary teams now and taking on more delegated health functions in future.
Digital readiness is essential and interoperability failures can be a major barrier, with poor data flows slowing progress.
The care association encouraged providers to strengthen their digital foundations through measures such as DSPT, cyber resilience, workforce confidence, and readiness to connect into wider systems.
Systems change and the role of adult social care in neighbourhood health
PPL have conducted simulations to investigate what might work and what the considerations need to be for a neighbourhood heath approach.
Social care is crucial across preventative, proactive, and reactive models because of its visibility into people’s day-to-day lives and changing needs.
Social care’s digital transformation over recent years is beneficial in connection to the proposed neighbourhood health approach.
The success of neighbourhood health depends on digital infrastructure and behaviour change, including trust, psychological safety, rapid collaboration.
PPL reported that the simulations showed benefits not only in system outcomes, but also in how people felt: more listened to, better supported, and more clearly understood.
They suggested that many of the tools already exist, but the challenge is putting them together differently and creating the time, mindset, and relationships needed for change.
