General practice and primary care network (PCN) staff will form a core component of new neighbourhood health centres, NHS guidance has said.
NHS England’s new neighbourhood guidance for integrated care boards (ICB) and regions sets out the minimum requirements that are needed for designation as a neighbourhood health centre (NHC).
On-site general practice is a ‘core element’ of the NHC model, NHS England said, not ‘solely GP staff or sessional input’.
General practice and PCN staff, community health and integrated neighbourhood teams (INT), consulting rooms for ear, nose and throat, gynaecology and other community clinics and shared spaces are set out as core components for NHCs.
NHS England said that it hopes the minimum requirements will support the establishment of a national benchmark, while other services, including mental health, diagnostics and minor injuries services, will vary by location.
The document, which was published on Wednesday, also said that NHCs should serve a population footprint of around 50,000, with GP services expected to be operating at the scale of a PCN.
This footprint aligns with the size of the proposed single neighbourhood providers (SNP) as set out in the recently published neighbourhood health framework, which will deliver new services through INTs within a defined single neighbourhood.
The new guidance document said: ‘As part of developing the neighbourhood health plan, health and wellbeing boards will be agreeing the geography (“a neighbourhood”) around which services should be delivered.
‘ICBs and regions should align their proposals with this work, and plan for NHCs to serve a population footprint at a scale in line with the neighbourhood health framework (around 50,000, recognising the need for local flexibility), with general practice at the core.
‘We would generally expect GP services within an NHC to be operating at the scale of a PCN. We recognise of course that other types of services will operate best on different footprints.’
The government has committed to opening 250 neighbourhood health centres across the country through a mix of private and public finance. The locations of the first 27 centres were revealed last month.
The centres should be open at least 12 hours a day and six days a week, in line with the expectation set out in the government’s flagship 10-Year Health Plan.
The neighbourhood health framework set out that ICBs will be expected to develop INTs focused on preventing patient deterioration and avoiding unnecessary hospital use.
On partnership working, the new neighbourhood guidance said NHCs should combine services across the NHS, local authority and civil society to provide a 'coordinated, population-focused offer'.
It also gives regions a deadline of 28 May to complete a ‘proposed strategic NHC pipeline’ explaining how the centres will be organised across each respective ICB footprint.
The guidance added: ‘This should set out the ICB’s latest view of how neighbourhood health centres will be organised across its footprint to deliver effective clinical strategies, the places in which capital investment is likely to be prioritised, and the mix of upgrades and new builds it proposes to deliver over time.’
It also urged ICBs to consider upgrades to existing estates before proposing the construction of new centres, saying that there is already ‘substantial estate’ that can support the development of NHCs’ across the NHS, local government, wider public sector and civil society.
‘Where suitable estate exists, upgrading, repurposing or extending existing estate should generally be the preferred approach when it offers a better value for money solution than new build,’ it added.
When ICBs submit proposals for new build centres, the guidance said that locations which are in or close to existing community ‘focal points’ are preferred, as these ‘support accessibility, integration and wider regeneration objectives’.
Sites that are not will need to be ‘justified clearly’, NHS England said.
Some 80% of new builds are expected to be delivered through public private partnerships and 20% through public capital, with decisions on which delivery route will be used for which schemes to be taken centrally, it added.
Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at The NHS Alliance, said the new guidance set out a 'strong strategic vision' for NHCs, which have real potential to strengthen patient‑first, joined‑up care.
'Primary care leaders will welcome the central role given to general practice,' she added.
'However, without reform of the GP rent reimbursement model and Premises Costs Directions, GPs will remain constrained in estate development, with current rules actively discouraging shared space and integration. A fundamental reassessment is needed to realise the NHC vision.
'There is also a risk that nationally defined criteria could restrict local innovation if applied too rigidly.'
Pulse PCN events
Pulse PCN delivers a series of in-person events across the UK, bringing together PCN Clinical Directors, PCN Managers and senior PCN leaders.
As the 10-year plan accelerates the move towards neighbourhood health services, PCNs are uniquely placed to lead delivery. Our events explore what this next phase means in practice. Register today to save your free spot and connect with peers.