Barking and Dagenham has been selected as one of the first areas in England to take part in a new national NHS programme that will bring health and care services closer to home.

Neighbourhood health is a way of delivering care that brings together health, social care, and community services to support people where they live.

It’s designed to make care more personalised and closer to home, especially for those with long-term conditions like diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure.

The fact that Barking and Dagenham has been selected by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care as part of this pioneering programme, means the staff who support its residents with this local care will benefit from advice, dedicated coaching, and learning and resources from national experts. It will then share its learning with the rest of England.

This kind of care works. It is a key part of the new NHS 10-year plan to shift care from hospitals to where people live. Barking and Dagenham was selected because of existing good work it already does in this area.

Over the past six years, Barking and Dagenham has built strong local partnerships between NHS North East London, GPs, hospitals, community groups, and the council. These teams have already helped to identify over 1,000 residents at risk of frailty, offering early support to keep people well and independent.

Being part of the national programme means it can help more people, close to home, sooner. 

Zina Etheridge, Chief Executive of NHS North East London, said:

"We're proud that we have been one of the first areas selected for this national programme, which recognises the innovative community-led approach we've co-developed in Barking and Dagenham. 

"This programme will help us bring health, social care and community services together at neighbourhood level, ensuring people get joined-up, proactive care closer to home. We're excited to share our learning with other areas and help shape the future of neighbourhood healthcare across England."

Cllr Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Housing and Health Integration for Barking and Dagenham Council, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected to take part in the first wave of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). 

“This is our moment to show what Barking and Dagenham can truly achieve. We’ve already laid the groundwork with a strong, system-wide approach to tackling ill health and inequality—and now we’re ready to go further. By deepening our joint working and learning from others, we’ll strengthen our community-led efforts, empowering residents to drive change and build a whole-system approach from the ground up.

“Unlocking earlier diagnosis through a holistic population health management approach is vital for supporting our residents with complex, long-term needs. With the outstanding Community Diagnostic Centre at Barking Hospital already in place, we’re setting our sights even higher — planning a pioneering AI diagnostics hub in partnership with Seoul Digital Foundation and Freeport. This bold step could potentially help us to transform how we detect, understand, and respond to health challenges.”

Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“We’re delighted to be part of this. It has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of people across Barking and Dagenham.

“For those living with long-term health conditions, it will be transformational in helping them to manage their health better and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.”

Paul Calaminus, Chief Executive, NELFT, said:

“We are proud that our Trust is a partner in one of the first areas selected in the country to take part in this national programme, acknowledging the innovative, community-led approach developed in Barking and Dagenham.

“At NELFT, we look forward to sharing our learning with others and contributing to shaping the future of neighbourhood healthcare for the communities we serve.” 

Craig Nikolic, Chief Executive, Together First CIC, Barking & Dagenham GP Federation, said:  

“Our success in this bid shows the efforts of years in building first a borough partnership and now into neighbourhoods. 

“The unity of our GP practices, neighbourhoods and Federation in this shows how much general practice is bought into the process and future models of working with our peer providers in the borough. We’re delighted with this successful bid and cannot wait to get started.”

Amelie Tan, Development Lead, BD Collective, said:

“This is great news for Barking & Dagenham. We’ve been on a journey to explore better ways to create good health and well-being with B&D residents for the past 5 years. Cross-sector collaboration and innovation partnerships have been a key part of our learning journey together. Being part of a national initiative such as this will really serve to boost this journey, along with others from across the country.”