This is a new way of delivering health and care services that focuses on supporting people closer to home, in their local communities, and helping them stay well for longer.
It brings together the NHS, local councils, social care, and voluntary and community organisations to work as one team around neighbourhoods. By working in a more joined‑up way, services can respond better to local needs and provide care that feels simpler, more connected and more personal.
Neighbourhood health is about shifting care from hospitals into the community wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so. Instead of services working separately, professionals work together across organisations to provide coordinated support that wraps around individuals, families and carers.
The focus is on prevention, early support and ongoing care, helping people manage their health conditions and stay independent for as long as possible.
This approach is aligned with national NHS priorities and the Government's 10‑Year Health Plan, which aims to shift more care out of hospitals and into communities.
Neighbourhood health is designed to feel easier to navigate and more joined‑up for local people.
People should notice that professionals are better connected, meaning they do not have to repeat their story as often and care feels more coordinated. Support will increasingly be provided closer to home, such as through GP practices, community services, local clinics or in people's own homes, rather than relying on hospital appointments.
There will be a stronger focus on preventing problems before they get worse, with earlier help for long‑term conditions and wellbeing. People with more complex needs should experience more proactive, planned support, helping them avoid unnecessary hospital stays and maintain independence.
Neighbourhood health in Kent and Medway is organised around local neighbourhoods, usually based on groups of GP practices and the communities they serve.
Single neighbourhoods
45 Single neighbourhoods will bring together local teams, including primary care, community health services, mental health, social care and voluntary sector partners. These teams work closely to understand local needs and support people in their area and support a population of 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Multi‑neighbourhood working
For services that make sense to deliver at a bigger scale, several neighbourhoods will work together in multi‑neighbourhood arrangements, serving populations of around 250,000. This allows services to share specialist skills, coordinate resources and ensure consistency, while still keeping care locally focused. In kent and Medway we will have nine multi-neighbourhood areas.
This flexible structure allows neighbourhood health to reflect the different communities across Kent and Medway. There will be a core offer for everyone then local services specifically designed around what local people need.
Health and social care providers are asked to jointly plan neighbourhood health for the local populations with an initial focus on people with the most complex health and care needs.
To help clinicians tailor care for people, especially those with the greatest need, people in Kent and Medway will start to be segmented using the Johns Hopkins tool. This puts people into Patient Needs Groups (PNGs).
If you use the NHS app, you may have already seen your PNG. Find out more about how the NHS App can help you manage your health.
These include people with complex, often multiple long-term conditions. They may have frequent contact with services, rely on unplanned care, and be at risk of increasing frailty. Many are managing a combination of physical, psychological, and social needs, which can change quickly. For this group, we all have a care plan which reflects what matters to the person, regular reviews by neighbourhood teams, which bring together physical health, mental health, social care, and the voluntary sector, proactive checks when someone's circumstances or health changes, plans to avoid unnecessary hospital admission linked to someone's respectful, and support for carers, recognising their role in keeping someone safe at home.
These are people with lower complexity, but who may be starting to develop more complex needs or have specific needs. They may have one or two long-term conditions, be pregnant, have mental health issues, or be impacted by social factors affecting health. Supporting this group to stay well is central to neighbourhood care. For these groups, we'll have small, proactive interventions or supported self-care to help someone stay well or independent for longer.
These are people with low need who might need regular check-ups and advice on staying healthy.
We understand some people may be surprised by their PNG and find the information worrying. PNGs are allocated automatically based on information in your health record and have not been inputted individually by your doctor. PNGs are a tool that doctors and nurses use alongside their medical knowledge to make decisions about the best care for you.
Your number doesn't change your entitlement to any care. It can change over time and doesn't replace clinical judgment. Instead, PNGs offer an additional framework to help the NHS to reshape and prioritise local services, coordinating better neighbourhood care for everyone.
If you have questions, please ask your doctor more about this at your next appointment.
Neighbourhood health is a long‑term change, not a single new service. It will be developed gradually and in phases, building on existing work, services and partnerships.
Some people, particularly those with more complex needs, may see changes earlier as neighbourhood teams strengthen how they work together. For others, changes may be more subtle at first, such as improved coordination between services.
Over time, neighbourhood health will continue to evolve, shaped by local learning, feedback from residents and ongoing collaboration between health, care and community partners.
For people living in Kent and Medway, neighbourhood health means:
Neighbourhood health represents an important step towards a more community‑focused, joined‑up and sustainable health and care system for Kent and Medway.
From January to March 2026, as part of our 'What Matters Most' involvement programme, the ICB held four community workshops across Kent and Medway focusing on neighbourhood health.
These workshops are the first of many opportunities to engage and involve people and communities in discussions about the NHS and how it is changing.
The evaluation reports can be found below.
Canterbury workshop evaluation report
Medway workshop evaluation report