In guidance published this month, NHS England said the neighbourhood health model can ‘broadly be delivered’ through four ‘potential archetypes (configurations)’: a hub-and-spoke model, repurposed community or civic spaces, cohort-specific hubs and purpose-built neighbourhood health centres.

The models are set out in NHS England’s new Neighbourhood health centres: design and performance specification, which has been issued to support integrated care boards and NHS regions in planning the estate needed for neighbourhood-based care.

According to the guidance, the hub-and-spoke model would involve upgrading or reconfiguring ‘existing general practice, community or other NHS buildings’, supported by ‘spokes such as mobile or small satellite sites’ to deliver local services.

The repurposed community or civic spaces model would see neighbourhood health services delivered from ‘high street premises, libraries, leisure centres or other civic assets’, which NHS England said could be developed ‘at pace and comparatively low cost’.

Under the cohort-specific hubs model, existing services such as ‘women’s health hubs, Best Start Family Hubs, community based mental health centres or respiratory hubs’ would be incorporated into the wider neighbourhood health offer.

The fourth model, purpose-built neighbourhood health centres, would involve new centres designed for ‘multidisciplinary teams, co-located services and strong digital integration’. NHS England said these would be developed ‘in areas where current estate cannot readily be repurposed to deliver convenient access for patients to the full range of neighbourhood health services’.

The guidance states that the four models ‘are not intended to be restrictive’ and that local partners ‘may develop variations or hybrid models where these meet service needs and align with the principles set out in this specification’.

NHS England said the models are intended to form part of ‘a flexible network that brings care closer to where people live while maintaining a coherent neighbourhood offer’.

The specification also states that neighbourhood health centres ‘will be open at a minimum of 12 hours a day, 6 days a week’ and are intended to operate as a ‘one stop shop’ for patient care, bringing together general practice, community services and some traditionally hospital-based services in local settings.

The design and performance specification was published on 15 April and forms part of NHS England’s broader neighbourhood health programme, which aims to shift more care into community settings through integrated local services and redesigned estate.