The white paper sets out how the government’s planned 250 neighbourhood health centres can be delivered at pace across England. Partnerships for progress: delivering a new generation of neighbourhood healthcare infrastructure identifies the practical conditions needed to deliver the landmark initiative – part of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan to boost access to healthcare, cut waiting lists, and tackle inequalities.
As the health service seeks to provide more care closer to people’s homes, the white paper argues that attention must now turn to establishing a credible national model for delivery. One key recommendation is to establish principles for a new public-private partnership model that can unlock investment while learning from previous approaches.
Wates and NHS England are also calling for a visible, prioritised pipeline of projects, with centres grouped geographically to streamline procurement and support more consistent delivery, plus a commitment to embed social value and patient outcomes throughout project design and delivery.
The paper calls for contractors to be involved at an early stage to optimise design and delivery and to use repeatable design principles to minimise cost, while retaining the flexibility to meet local needs.
Wates Group CEO Eoghan O’Lionaird said: “The ambition behind neighbourhood health centres is compelling – bringing more services closer to where people live. The challenge now is delivery. The NHS has set out a clear vision and the question is how we create the practical conditions that will enable centres to be delivered at the pace and scale required.
“That means providing greater certainty over the pipeline ahead, creating the confidence for industry to invest in skills and capacity, and establishing delivery models that encourage long-term collaboration.”
Simon Corben, director and head of profession at NHS Estates at NHS England, commented: “The ambition to develop a new generation of neighbourhood health centres represents one of the most significant opportunities to transform the NHS estate and improve community healthcare in a generation. Delivering this vision will require strong partnerships across the public and private sectors, bringing together investment, expertise, and innovation to support better outcomes for patients.
“This white paper reflects the constructive discussions held between NHS colleagues, industry partners, and wider stakeholders on how we can move from vision to delivery. By working together, we can help create modern, sustainable healthcare facilities that support prevention, improve access to care, and meet the changing needs of local communities.”