Forty-two areas to pioneer neighbourhood health

The government and NHS England will select 42 places to lead the rollout of neighbourhood health and shape how it will be operationalised.

Officials are writing to integrated care boards (ICBS) and councils today to call for applications to join the first wave of the national neighbourhood health implementation programme.

The first cohort of the programme, which will use an improvement network approach, is expected to be selected by September. A “co-design day” in August will help design implementation.

Applications must be from “places” (which often match a borough, town or district) and will be judged based on promising early evidence of joint working on care for multiple and complex conditions. CEOs of trusts, councils, GPs, primary care network directors, and VCSE organisations must together support and submit applications, rather than ICBs.

There can be multiple applications from several places within a single ICB.

The 42 will include representation from all regions, but there will not necessarily be one NH in each of the 42 current ICBs.

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Source: HSJ, 9 July 2025