HEALTHCARE in Coventry will be delivered closer to home after the city was selected for the first phase of a new government programme.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust will work with partners to deliver neighbourhood care after Coventry was selected to join the first wave of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP).
The programme aims to give people easier access to care, and support to help them stay well.
It will reduce unnecessary trips to hospital, freeing up appointments and beds for those who need them.
UHCW developed the bid, one of 43 chosen in the first phase, in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, primary care colleagues, Coventry City Council and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT).
The Trust says it will build on the Improving Lives programme, launched in June 2024, which brought together health and social care teams to support people to lead independent, healthy lives.
Chief Executive Officer Professor Andy Hardy said: “As a Trust we aim to be rooted in our communities.
“We look forward to working with partners to deliver better health outcomes for the people we serve.
“Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our patients and the overall wellbeing of our local population.”
A programme lead will be appointed to work with existing services to help achieve the three key ‘shifts’ of the government’s 10-year health plan: hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention.
A range of professions – including community nurses, hospital doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, paramedics, social prescribers, local government organisations and the voluntary sector – will work together to develop neighbourhood health teams.
A Trust spokesperson said: “Neighbourhood health will benefit patients by providing end-to-end care and tailored support, looking beyond the condition at wider causes of health issues, helping to avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, prevent complications, and avoid the frustration of being passed around the system.”
The teams will initially focus on supporting people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, angina, high blood pressure, MS or epilepsy, in areas with the highest deprivation.
As the programme grows, it will expand to support other patients and priority cohorts.
Alison Cartwright, Chief Integration Officer at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for Coventry to be at the forefront of the national shift of care from hospital to community.
“Being involved in the first wave of the programme will allow us to build upon and accelerate the work that has already begun locally to join-up health and care services, tailor those services to meet the needs of local people and deliver them in local communities.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits this programme will have for people across the city.”
