Briefing Note: Neighbourhood Health Framework
In Summary
The recently published Neighbourhood Health Framework sets out how a new neighbourhood health service will be built across England, moving care from hospitals into communities, organised around defined local populations. The VCSE sector is explicitly named as a potential delivery partner in Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs). Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) will own neighbourhood health plans from 2027–28. This means that VCSE representation on Gloucestershire’s HWB is key. The Civil Society Covenant is directly referenced as a guiding principle, giving the sector a formal lever. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) must deliver minimum requirements in 2026–27.
What is the Neighbourhood Health Framework?
The Neighbourhood Health Framework is a joint policy paper from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, published 17 March 2026. It sets out the government's plan to build a neighbourhood health service across England.
The core idea is a 'left shift': moving care out of hospitals and into communities, from sickness to prevention, delivered as locally as possible. The framework defines how this will be organised, commissioned, delivered and measured.
It sits alongside the Medium-Term Planning Framework (2026–29), which asks ICBs to begin delivering minimum requirements immediately, with more fundamental reform from April 2027.
Key headlines
Neighbourhood Health Centres
250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) will be built or repurposed by 2035, with 120 by 2030. Wave 1, in 2026–27, focuses on repurposing existing NHS estate in areas of highest deprivation. Critically, NHCs are described as bringing together GP services with community, local authority, civil society and VCSE sector services.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams
INTs are the primary delivery mechanism. They will focus initially on people with frailty and end-of-life needs, multiple long-term conditions (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dementia), children and young people, and cancer. The NHS will not define nationally what an INT must look like. This is decided locally, creating both opportunity and risk for the VCSE sector.
Health and Wellbeing Boards
Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) are given responsibility for developing neighbourhood health plans (from 2027– 28), agreeing geographies, setting local outcome measures and aligning neighbourhood health with wider public service reform. This is a significant elevation of the HWB role.
New contracting models
Three new provider models are introduced: Single Neighbourhood Providers (around 50,000 population), Multi-Neighbourhood Providers (around 250,000+), and Integrated Health Organisations (IHOs), which are whole-population budget holders. IHO contracts are NHS-only, but the framework creates the possibility for VCSE partners to form alliances or joint ventures with statutory NHS bodies.
The Civil Society Covenant
The framework states that ICBs and local authorities should have 'due regard' to the Civil Society Covenant's principles of partnership working when designing neighbourhood health. This is a formal lever for the VCFSE sector to hold systems to account and to demand meaningful co-design.
What does this mean for the VCSE sector?
This framework creates both genuine opportunity and real risk for the VCSE sector. The opportunity is for the sector to be built into the architecture of neighbourhood health from the outset. The risk is being consulted rather than involved, contracted as an afterthought once the NHS and local authority structures are already designed.
In Gloucestershire, with strong, collaborative cross-sector relationships already in place, we have a solid platform from which to build.
Gloucestershire VCSE Strategic Partnership is already represented on the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Neighbourhood Health Portfolio Board.
So far, we have met twice with Shane Devlin, the new CEO of the clustered ICB, with more meetings planned.
We have worked jointly with Integrated Locality Partnership representatives to develop a proposal for how the VCSE sector could work collaboratively with the new ICB, which we will be presenting in May.
We are building relationships with our counterparts in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, exploring areas where we can work together effectively and those which require a continued local focus.
We will continue to prioritise key relationships and engage with the ICB on embedding the VCSE sector in Integrated Neighbourhood Teams.
Further reading
Policy paper - Neighbourhood health framework - Published 19 March 2026