Shaping the Future of Neighbourhood Health | NHS | Legal Advice

Neighbourhood health is central to the NHS's ambition to deliver more preventative, personalised and community-based care, closer to home. supporting the 10-Year Health Plan. As health and care systems shift from treating illness to improving population health, bringing together services across the NHS, social care and community organisations to work collaboratively across traditional boundaries to provide joined-up services closer to home will be required.
Bevan Brittan is a trusted adviser to the NHS ecosystem and those that support it, including Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), NHS organisations, local authorities, primary care providers, community providers, and wider system partners. We help organisations navigate the legal, governance and operational complexities of neighbourhood health, supporting the development of integrated models of care that improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and make best use of limited resources.
Our multidisciplinary team combines market-leading health, local government, employment, commercial, procurement, property, planning, construction, information governance and regulatory expertise to help clients design, implement and sustain neighbourhood health solutions with confidence.
Whether you are establishing integrated neighbourhood teams, developing new partnership models, redesigning services, or transforming community infrastructure, we provide practical advice that helps deliver meaningful change for local communities.
We are playing a significant role in the Government’s first-wave of Neighbourhood Health Centres to be opened in 2027, advising on the contractual arrangements for the upgrading or expanding of more than one third of the 27 Neighbourhood Health Centres confirmed, bringing healthcare closer to home under the 10 Year Health Plan.
We advised on the delivery of The Stone Castle Centre, Westbourne Green Community Health Care Centre and Barbara Castle Way Health Centre which are among the first in England providing access to NHS and community services in areas with the highest need. We continue to advise on others, across England, including Beeston Hill Community Health Centre, Alfred Barrow Health Centre and Radcliffe Primary Care Centre. The Government has pledged to open 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres by 2036, with the first 120 open by 2030. Drawing on our extensive experience advising on national healthcare infrastructure programmes, we are committed to supporting our clients to plan, structure and deliver the UK Government’s Neighbourhood Health Centres at pace.
Further case studies
- Supporting an Integrated Care Board with place-based governance arrangements and delegated decision-making.
- Advising NHS and local authority partners on collaborative working arrangements to deliver integrated community services.
- Supporting a major service transformation programme involving community, mental health, and primary care providers.
Building Effective Partnerships and Governance
Successful neighbourhood health depends on collaboration between healthcare providers, local government, social care, housing, public health, and the voluntary sector. We work with organisations to establish governance frameworks and partnership arrangements that support effective decision-making, accountability, and service delivery.
Our expertise includes:
- Integrated neighbourhood team governance
- Place-based partnerships and collaborative arrangements
- Provider collaboratives and alliance models
- Joint committees and delegated decision-making
- Section 75 and partnership agreements
- Neighbourhood health delivery vehicles
- Primary Care Network and federation governance
- Governance assurance and compliance
- Public law and decision-making requirements
We help organisations develop governance structures that facilitate innovation, collaboration and integration while meeting statutory and regulatory obligations.
Delivering Neighbourhood Health Transformation
Neighbourhood health requires organisations to redesign services, embrace new technologies, share information effectively and develop flexible workforce models. Our specialists support clients throughout transformation programmes, helping them manage legal and operational risks while remaining focused on improving outcomes for local populations.
We advise on:
- Service redesign and community-based models of care
- Population health and prevention initiatives
- Commissioning, procurement, and contracting arrangements
- Workforce integration and new ways of working
- Information governance and data sharing
- Digital transformation and AI implementation
- Neighbourhood Health Centres
- Estate optimisation
- Partnerships with housing, social care, and the voluntary sector
- Funding, investment, and delivery of infrastructure solutions
Our integrated approach ensures clients have access to the full range of expertise required to deliver sustainable neighbourhood health services that meet the needs of their communities.