Earlier this week, Community Health Partnerships (CHP), in partnership with the NHS Alliance, delivered a webinar exploring how rethinking existing NHS estate is key to succeeding in delivering a Neighbourhood Health Service and wider ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan.
The NHS LIFT estate is already playing a vital role in enabling this transformation. Through close collaboration with NHS system partners, providers, community groups and local authorities, many LIFT assets are supporting greater integration of services and, in many cases, bringing care closer to local communities.
Through the National Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, CHP is at the forefront of this initiative, with 16 NHS LIFT facilities included in the first wave of projects. These sites will undergo a series of refurbishments and adaptations to support more integrated models of care and multidisciplinary working.
Recent national neighbourhood guidance also highlighted the importance of utilising existing estate to accelerate delivery of neighbourhood-based health services, while faced with challenging financial constraints and ambitious timelines.
The webinar featured an expert panel, including CHP CEO Wendy Farrington-Chadd, Dr Joe McManners, Chair of OX3+ PCN, and GP based in Oxford, Ollie Clarke, Director of Capital at NHS England, CHP and colleagues from Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Greater Manchester ICB.
The first case study focused on the East Birmingham Locality Hub, located at Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre. Matthew Forest, Associate Director of Transformation at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, outlined how data stratification enabled NHS teams across Birmingham and Solihull to better understand their population and support the shift to a neighbourhood‑based model of care.
This insight helped CHP and system partners work through the practical challenges of planning and delivering services for a population of 1.1 million people. Washwood Heath Health Centre now operates as a fully utilised and well‑embedded facility, where NHS teams have access to the data and insight needed to better understand and respond to local population needs. The success of the locality hub has received national recognition, including a visit from the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, Stephen Kinnock MP.
The second case study explored the future potential at Radcliffe Primary Care Centre in Greater Manchester. Jeanette Leach, CHP’s Regional Director – North West, and Clare Postlethwaite, Associate Programme Director (Bury Locality), NHS Greater Manchester, discussed what could be achieved at the centre, and explored the existing integrated model, bringing together health, community and local authority services, while reinforcing the importance of tailoring neighbourhood provision to local population needs.
The area is served by three acute trusts and has experienced significant financial pressures.
Clear themes emerged throughout the webinar. With limited capital for new builds and the ambition to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres by 2030, effective use of existing NHS estate and strong partnership working were consistently highlighted. There was also shared recognition that neighbourhood centres must also prioritise welcoming, patient focused environments.
If you were unable to attend the webinar but would like to learn more about how the NHS LIFT estate can support you in your neighbourhood ambitions and planning, please contact your Regional Director, or Strategic Estates Productivity Lead (SEPL) contact details found here.
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