“At the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, we have been making a strong case for all public services to ‘think neighbourhoods’.
This couldn’t be more important than in the health service, which has for too long focused on hospitals, places far from the communities in which people live and far from the ultimate determinants of health.
That’s why the Department’s proposals for a Neighbourhood Health Service are to be strongly welcomed, providing the opportunity for a genuine reset in how the NHS works.
This has to be accompanied by a shift in resources away from richer areas to those suffering higher levels of disadvantaged. I too welcome the proposals to begin to correct this historic challenge from the Government today.
We look forward to working with the government and other partners to shape the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, drawing on the insight we have gathered from dozens of neighbourhood visits and our research programme.”