Imagine a world where primary, community, and preventative care seamlessly converge under one roof— this vision is within our grasp with Government proposals: Neighbourhood Health Centres, Single Neighbourhood Provider (SNP), Integrated Health Organisation (IHO), and Multi Neighbourhood Providers (MNP).  Part of government 10 years plan.

Some primary care Doctors don't want to work with secondary care - a gap.

Benefits of new proposals -

• offers a formal, integrated contract structure holding legal and financial accountability - better governance.  Primary Care Networks (PCNs) offer a looser collaberation between separate general practice - the dominant surgery in the primary care network can cause inequalities amongst surgeries in your area, meaning you are not getting the care you should;
• Care closer to home;
• Less fragmentation - reduces administrative duplication and structural gaps which slows down commumity based care

Dangers of PCN Monopolisation

1. The dominant GP surgery secures the clinical director role within the PCN, aligning network priorities with their own practice goals (this will affect patient complaints/outcomes and will naturally result in conflicts of interests).
2. The largest practice holds more voting weight
3. Misconduct can go undetected/unreported
4. Management and HR functions get clustered in the main surgery
5. The dominant surgery controls key decisions, resource allocation, and funding streams.  This imbalance sidelines smaller practices, reduces collaborative decision making and centralizes power, leading to friction and inequitable patient service distribution across the network.

Fragmentation in service provision often results in decreased accessibility and efficiency. Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) are revolutionary because they offer a solution to this problem by creating a hub for integrated care.  Designed to break down silos, these centres ensure that primary, community, and preventive health activities are aligned to provide holistic services to patients.  More people are living with multiple and more complex long term problems, and as highlighted by Lord Darzi, the absolute and relative proportion of our lives spent in ill-health has increased.

Neighbourhood health aims to create healthier communities, helping people of all ages live healthy, active and independent lives for as long as possible while improving their experience of health and social care, and increasing their agency in managing their own care.  Under this plan, elective care will be increasingly personalised and digital, with a focus on improving experience and convenience, and empowering people with choice and control over when and where they will be treated.

General practice will work (and needs to) alongside community health, mental health, pharmacy, and social care professionals - better teamwork.  Statistics show that integrated health systems tend to have better patient outcomes and satisfaction levels. According to the NHS Confederation, integrated care can reduce unnecessary hospital admissions by up to 30%, proving its efficiency not just in terms of health outcomes but also in economic savings. Furthermore, reports indicate that countries with integrated health systems experience shorter hospital stays, increased patient engagement, and overall better health statistics.

We need a health system that addresses local needs. SNPs and IHOs tailor care delivery to suit specific community needs, while Multi-Neighbourhood Providers ensure that services are both expansive and inclusive. This integration is not only pragmatic but necessary to address the evolving healthcare demands.

By promoting these integrated health models, we will enhance service delivery, improve health outcomes, and build stronger communities. These organisations exist to close the gap in access to healthcare and provide a structure that’s proactive rather than reactive.

We call upon the NHS and other health authorities to increase funding and policy initiatives to support the development and expansion of these Neighbourhood Health Centres. This support is crucial for training staff, providing resources, and implementing the updated health models across our regions.

This has never been more relevant now for you to sign, as at August 26, the BMA are trying to argue with the government that NHS neighbourhoods should be built around existing PCNs and funded through local variation to the network contract directed enhanced service (DES) rather than new standalone contracts - this should not be the case.

Your signature can make a real difference. Join us in advocating for a more integrated, efficient, and patient-centered approach to healthcare. Together, we can build healthier communities through actionable change. Please sign this petition to show your support for integrated healthcare solutions that truly serve our needs.