Funded nurse workforce plan needed for neighbourhood health services

The government must produce a ‘detailed and fully funded plan’ to develop the UK’s registered nurse workforce for new neighbourhood health services to be a success, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged.

The call comes as the government has this week announced that 42 areas in England will be chosen to deliver ‘neighbourhood health programmes’ from September.

The government said these will be prioritised in the most deprived areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy, such as ‘working-class’ and coastal towns.

Integrated care board (ICB) and local authority chief executives have been asked to submit applications for the initiative and to outline examples of ‘joined-up working and innovation’ in their areas.

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Those selected by the government will then join an ‘intensive national coaching programme’ over the summer, including major workshop days that bring together experts, GPs and their teams, patients, the voluntary sector and local authorities.

The move is ‘central’ to the government’s recently published 10-year plan for the NHS, which also mooted leadership opportunities for nurses under its push for a neighbourhood health model.

RCN general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said the shift to community services will be ‘vital’ in ending the corridor care crisis and that nurses ‘stand ready’ to deliver this change.

However she warned that a workforce plan was essential.

‘As the professionals delivering the vast majority of care, we know what keeps patients safe and well and it’s right that our skills and leadership are recognised,’ she said.

‘To make this a reality, the secretary of state must produce a detailed and fully funded plan to grow our registered nurse workforce, especially in crucial community roles.’

A new government workforce plan, which is expected to focus on public health, is due to be published later this summer.

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Health secretary Wes Streeting said the government was ‘hitting the ground running’ with its 10-year plan.

‘If we are to get patients cared for faster, on their doorstep and even in their own home, then we need to shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community,’ said Mr Streeting.

‘We are issuing an open invitation to local authorities and health services to become pioneer neighbourhood health services and lead the charge of healthcare reform.

‘As part of our Plan for Change, we’re beginning the neighbourhood health service in areas of greatest need first, to tackle the unfair health inequalities that blight our country.’

Neighbourhood health centres

In addition to the neighbourhood health services that will begin in September, the government is also working to deliver ‘neighbourhood health centres’ across the country over the course of its 10-year plan.

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The centres will house multidisciplinary teams including nurses, health visitors, palliative care staff, pharmacists and paramedics, under one roof. 

The centres will eventually be open for 12 hours a week, six days a week, the government has said.