Neighbourhood working in action

Case studies showing the breadth of models and approaches to neighbourhood working in England.

Submit a tender to our research project

We are tendering for an organisation or group of organisations to deliver a twelve to eighteen month action research project exploring community-led, hyper-local approaches to a neighbourhood health service. The project will focus on building the partnerships between local communities and NHS leaders and providers. Alongside the delivery, we are also tendering for a partner to deliver the evaluation and learning support .

Deadline for submissions is Friday 28 February 2025. Tenders should be submitted by email to charlotte.ruthven@nhsconfed.org and holly.walters@nhsconfed.org, copying in contracting@nhsconfed.org.

Neighbourhood working describes a way of working where neighbourhoods and statutory services work together to improve the health and wellbeing of their population.

This section brings together a selection of case studies that build a picture of the current landscape of neighbourhood working in England. Deliberately diverse, the 14 examples cover a range of different communities, geographies and ways of working. All are united by the commitment of those involved to transforming lives within local neighbourhoods and communities, through taking a different approach to improving health and wellbeing.

The case studies include system-wide approaches, reflect the potentially powerful role of primary care and general practice, show communities at the heart of change, and demonstrate the role of voluntary and community sector (VCSE) organisations.

To support those on a similar journey we have highlighted some of the key areas of focus and outcomes and included contacts for each example. If you can, please go to see these neighbourhood partnerships in action. The results are truly inspiring.

Browse the map to find out more and scroll down for further insights on neighbourhood working.

The case studies presented here demonstrate examples of neighbourhood working across England. They show the breadth of models and the diverse approaches to neighbourhood working.
We have intentionally ensured the sample is diverse, representing multiple different geographies, characteristics, methodologies and lead organisations from across England. Key characteristics of the sample of case studies are represented in the pie charts below.
The case studies:
include system-wide approaches such as that exemplified by the Leeds Care Partnership, with healthcare providers, local authorities, and community organisations collaborating based on collective responsibility for bringing together local resources and funding to achieve shared community goals.
reflect the potentially powerful role of primary care and general practice, such as in Surrey Growing Health Together, where GPs have helped to build stronger relationships with local communities as part of expanding their roles to engage with the social determinants of health.
show communities at the heart of change, in the community empowerment such as that exemplified by W12 Together – enabling diverse communities to have a united voice when it comes to what is happening in their neighbourhoods
demonstrate the role of voluntary and community sector (VCSE) organisations, with grassroots leadership and community assets “Nourishing Norfolk” in a time of severe pressures on individuals, households and the services that support them.
A core reflection across all of these case studies is the impossibility of capturing the true richness and relationships that underpin them, or the impact that they are having, in a few paragraphs.
These case studies are one element of a wider research project on neighbourhood working, undertaken by PPL on behalf of the NHS Confederation and Local Trust.
All case studies are a product of interviews and the provision of further written information from representatives from each case study example in June and July 2024.
The review complements a literature review on neighbourhood working, covering key drivers, enablers and barriers.
The combined outputs help build a case for change and specific recommendations on next steps to support the spread and scaling of neighbourhood working.
We would like to thank all of those areas who gave their time to contribute their experience, learning and outcomes to the case studies detailed in the sections.
The case studies were co-developed as part of a foundational research project with Local Trust and the NHS Confederation.
Funding is key to all these case studies, and Big Local is a large contributor to many of the community-led examples.
- The case studies presented here rely on a diverse set of funding streams. Some are funded through PCNs, others through funding provided through the ICB budgets specifically designed to address inequalities and others still through a varied mix of funding sources
- One of the key funding sources for VCSE-led examples is Big Local funding:
  - Through Big Local, 150 areas across England were enabled to create lasting change in their neighbourhoods over 10 to 15 years, through grants of just over £1m each.
  - Designed from the outset to be radically different from other funding programmes, at the heart of Big Local is a vision of community development that champions resilient, dynamic, asset-rich neighbourhoods, making their own decisions on what is best for their area.
- The impact of Big Local has been large, it has served to re-invigorate and extend the impact of existing community schemes or lead to the establishment of completely new initiatives in an area. All Big Local funds were targeted to improve the health and wellbeing of the most deprived neighbourhoods
- Community led examples in particular are likely to rely on several different funding sources. This can lead to high levels of managerial and administrative work to maintain and report on several different funding streams