The future of neighbourhood health
The publication of NHS England’s neighbourhood health centre (NHC) guidance and accompanying design specification in April 2026 marks a significant moment for the delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan.
At its core, the guidance is not simply about delivering new buildings. It reflects a broader shift towards neighbourhood-based healthcare models that bring services closer to communities, support prevention and enable greater integration between organisations.
With the Government’s ambition to develop 250 of these new Neighbourhood Health Centres by 2035, and have the first 120 open by 2030, the programme is set to transform health and care, with three fundamental shifts in how the NHS works: hospital to community, sickness to prevention, and analogue to digital.
With over 25 years’ experience of supporting health infrastructure and service delivery, we’re the perfect partners to support this transformation.
What you need to think about
- Population health needs and improving health outcomes at a neighbourhood level will be the foundation for the neighbourhood health programme
- Plans should be aligned to a robust clinical strategy that meets the population needs, and the 10 Year Health Plan’s objectives
- Anchor centres around GPs, with complimentary PCN, community, acute and mental health services delivered in an integrated way over six days, 8am-8pm
- Thought needs to be given for reusing or upgrading existing facilities before planning to build new
- You need a credible timetable and realistic route to delivery, with stakeholder alignment, or your plans won’t be approved
- Your NHC plans should demonstrate clear, credible RDEL affordability
- Engage stakeholders early, and align plans with regeneration, infrastructure and wider public estate plans
Our experience
- Our experience in primary and community healthcare spans decades, and we work in partnership with the public sector and private investors
- We’re industry leaders in strategic advice, data-driven decision making, project delivery and the operational management
- We’re involved in running 84 health centres across 11 LIFT companies worth £1bn
- Parallel, which is part of the Group, develop Strata, an interactive, data mapping, analysis and insight tool, which is NHS England’s mandated national data and strategic planning platform for estates
- We planned, project managed and delivered the internationally-recognised Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre
- Our flagship LIFT company, Citycare, delivered £234m social value return for communities in one of the UK’s most deprived areas
"Newington Health Care Centre is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through effective partnership working for easier access to appointments, a better patient experience, and ultimately, improved health outcomes for the people of Hull.”
How we can support you
Whilst we bring our unrivalled experience to every project, we know one size never fits all, so we tailor our services to specific needs, based around these key areas:
- Neighbourhood diagnostics – assessment of population needs, service demand and existing provision, including demand and capacity analysis
- Development of neighbourhood strategies
- Creation of Place-based partnerships
- Service planning and integrated care model development
- Healthcare planning
- Business cases and helping structure proposals
- Utilisation analysis and recommendations
- Feasibility and options appraisals
- Assistance with the planning process
- Programme and project management, including end-to-end implementation support and delivery
- Ongoing monitoring and management of impact, performance and benefits
Take a look at some of our previous work in neighbourhood health
We are recognised as one of the country’s leading partners when it comes to integrated neighbourhood health.
SERVICES SHAPED AROUND PEOPLE AND PLACES
Part of Leeds’ LIFT estate, The Reginald Centre has become a hub of activity in the Chapeltown area of Leeds, reintegrating healthcare into the social fabric of the community, and bringing more staff and resources into the places people live.
Speak to our experts
With over 25 years’ experience of supporting health infrastructure and service delivery, we’re the perfect partners to support this transformation.
We can help with strategic advice, project delivery, operational estate management, development management, data insight and much more.
