NHS Confederation and NHS Providers respond to announcement of the first 27 new neighbourhood health centres

Responding to the announcement of the first 27 new neighbourhood health centres, Ruth Rankine, director of primary care and neighbourhood health at the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers (which will become the NHS Alliance from April), said:

“The creation of a neighbourhood health service has the potential to further empower the NHS to deliver truly patient‑first, joined‑up care.

“Bringing teams together under one roof can significantly enhance services for the public, strengthen relationships between health and care professionals, and support more seamless pathways for patients. Making innovative use of existing estate across the NHS and local authorities will be essential to delivering neighbourhood‑based services and ensuring that people can access the support they need closer to home. These buildings should act as anchors for local government and voluntary sector partners, which have traditionally been based in town centres. We must move away from infrastructure designed solely around NHS norms.

“We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past—investing in upgraded physical infrastructure without enabling genuine co‑location or fostering meaningful collaboration between partners. To make neighbourhood services a reality, we need a high bar for how these spaces are used, with a broader and more diverse group of partners actively working within them.

“The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers have been working closely with our members to understand what this vision looks like in practice, and they will welcome the clarity provided in this announcement.”