Following the Government roll out of the first 27 NHS Neighbourhood Health Centres across England, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board will be able to apply for the next phase of delivery later this year.
Last year, as part of its landmark 10 Year Health Plan, the Government announced plans to roll out 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres by 2035, with the first 120 open by 2030, to boost access to healthcare, cut waiting lists and tackle inequalities.
Patients will immediately be able to access a greater range of health services from these centres, all under one roof and closer to their homes. This would include, among other things, urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services.
A range of services under one roof will mean more conditions can be treated swiftly locally , allowing people to talk through their health conditions as well as their lifestyle and quality of life and any other relevant contributing factors, enabling a rapid referral to the appropriate care and support where this is needed.
Last year, 43 pioneer areas were selected to model how Neighbourhood Health Services should work, with this model now being rolled out to more areas over the next year. As part of this, the Government is deciding the locations of further upgrades and 70 new-build Neighbourhood Health Centres which will be announced later this year.
As part of this, DHSC is now asking ICBs across England, including the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB responsible for Portsmouth’s healthcare, to develop an estates strategy for their area. ICBs must take a critical look at the buildings that form their NHS estate and ask themselves whether those buildings are fit for the future of healthcare.
ICBs will be considering existing assets as well as gaps, with the following options being considered for local areas:
- Refurbishing and maximising existing estate
- Building new Neighbourhood Health Centres
- Reutilising community or civic assets
- Bringing together Hub and Spoke models
Amanda Martin MP has pledged to engage with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB to ensure local views and priorities in the first instance can feed into the local ICB’s estate strategy.
Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, said: “A Neighbourhood Health Centre in Portsmouth would be a game changer. We know that Portsmouth has some of the highest patient-to-GP ratios in the country and our A&E department is often overwhelmed with people who could have been seen by a GP or another healthcare professional in the first instance.
A health hub would provide a go-to place for most health needs, bringing services that have traditionally been hospital-based such as diagnostics and rehabilitation into the community.
I will be working with others to ensure that our ICB gets this right and that the community receives the healthcare it needs.”
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said: “This government is transforming healthcare, so the NHS works around the lives of patients – not vice versa.
“We’re rolling out neighbourhood health centres across the country by repurposing and improving local buildings, first targeting the communities that need them most. These one-stop shops will help end the maze of referrals and repeated conversations, treating not just poor health but the causes of it, too.
“As we rebuild our NHS, our mission is to shift more healthcare into the community, while delivering easier access to care, improved outcomes for patients and better value for money for the taxpayer”.
