ICBs have been invited to apply to be part of the first wave of the neighbourhood health programme announced in the 10 year plan last week.
In a letter to ICB chief executives, Dr Claire Fuller, the national medical director of primary care at NHS England, said applications from ICBs and local authorities were welcome for ‘one or more Places’ within their geography.
The Government will then choose the 42 areas that will join an ‘intensive national coaching programme over the summer’. This will feature experts, GPs and their teams, patients, the voluntary sector and local authorities.
From September, 42 sites will start rolling out their neighbourhood health programmes, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which will be prioritised in the most deprived areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy.
The initial focus for the Places that are successful will be ‘creating neighbourhood health systems and processes for adults with multiple long-term conditions and rising risk before progressing to other areas’.
Dr Fuller added that they would also work with Places to develop new ways of working and the ‘system enablers’ that underpin this.
She recognised that many places are ‘already making progress’ in these areas, but that some are impeded by problems such as misaligned incentives and performance management processes.
She said: ‘This will build on and not replace work that has already been progressing in many places and therefore, whilst firm on intent and measuring progress, there will be full flexibility to deliver in ways that are shaped locally and make sense to you.’
The DHSC said these initial sites would be given ‘clear guidance, support and metrics to report on regularly’ and that a taskforce has been set up between it and NHS England, chaired by Sir John Oldham, to ‘drive progress’.
Applications for Places that wish to take part in phase one of the neighbourhood health programme should be submitted by 8 August.
Last week, the Government unveiled its plan for the next 10 years, including pledges around a new operating model, expansion of the NHS App and AI, a push for greater use of genomics and new neighbourhood contracts.
Health leaders have generally welcomed it’s ‘bold ambitions’. But there is caution over the finances of the plan and how exactly it will differ from other NHS policy initiatives.
