Residents in Hastings and Rother are set to benefit from a new Neighbourhood Health programme, one of the first of its kind in the country, designed to bring healthcare directly into local communities.

The National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) is a flagship initiative from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to support delivery of neighbourhood working.

The neighbourhood health service is a core part of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and a priority for our system. The NNHIP supports this by helping areas implement neighbourhood working that will deliver care that better meets the needs of children and adults, including those with multiple long-term conditions and those affected by wider social and economic factors. It will be backed by £10 million investment nationally from the Government.

Hastings and Rother has been selected as one of only 43 areas in the country to have this dedicated focus to shift care away from hospitals and into the community, helping people access the right support on their doorstep.

Neighbourhood teams for Hastings and Rother will bring together a wide range of professionals and services, including GPs, community nurses, hospital doctors, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, social care workers, paramedics, and local voluntary organisations. By working together, these professionals will deliver joined-up, end-to-end care tailored to patients’ needs.

The focus will initially be on improving services for people with multiple conditions and complex needs to reduce unnecessary hospital visits, prevent complications, and make access to care simpler and faster – particularly for people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, angina, MS, or epilepsy.

Work has been underway locally in both areas, recognising the need for integrated community teams focused on the needs of a local area and that community. This is a core part of the Sussex health and care’s five year strategy Improving Lives Together.

In Hastings, work has been underway as one of three frontrunner programmes in Sussex, focused on understanding the community and defining a core service offer for the team across the area.

Leadership teams for both Hastings and Rother have also been established, and neighbourhood mental health teams are already bringing services together in a more joined up way for local people.

As a result, a bid for the programme was submitted by all health and care partners.

The positive announcement that Hastings and Rother has been selected for the Government’s Neighbourhood Health programme recognises these strong foundations and presents the opportunities to further develop how services can work differently in Hastings and Rother to address health inequalities and improve health outcomes.

Adam Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Sussex said:

We are delighted that Hastings and Rother has been selected for this national programme to really drive forward our ambitions for neighbourhood health, to bring more care into the community, join-up services, and really make a difference in improving health outcomes for local people. “Being selected in this first phase, recognises the strong foundations of neighbourhood health in Hastings and Rother, the work of local teams as a frontrunner area in Sussex, and the commitment and dedication of local leaders across health and care, local Government, and community partners to truly make this shift to care closer to home for residents.”

Cllr Keith Glazier, chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board for East Sussex, said:

This can make a real difference to people in Hastings and Rother by bringing transformational health and care to them in the place and manner that’s most convenient for them. We’ve already got proven experience of making this joined-up and innovative approach work for our communities and with our NHS partners we’ll be able to widen and accelerate that work as a result of this investment.”

We look forward to working with NHS England and the NNHIP team over the coming months to shape how the pilots run in our areas and share what we learn with other areas.