Neighbourhood Health in West Yorkshire - our ambition
Across West Yorkshire, partners are coming together around a shared ambition - to better shape health and care around neighbourhoods, putting people and communities at the centre of how things work.
Each neighbourhood is different. People’s health and needs are different depending on things like income, age, long-term illnesses, mental health, their housing and whether they live in rural or built-up areas. Each neighbourhood also has its own strengths, usually found in its local groups and community support.
Our aims are simple:
- help everyone stay well
- support people when they need it
- make services easy to use
- work together as partners.
Our neighbourhood health work will:
- improve health for people who face the biggest challenges
- reduce hospital visits that could be avoided
- make sure people of all ages can get the right help at the right time, closer to home
- support early help and strong communities
- meet agreed local and national standards.
Each neighbourhood works closely with local community organisations. These help our neighbourhoods understand what matters to people and make the most of local skills, knowledge and support.
Every neighbourhood has its own plan for improving health and wellbeing. Staff who work in the neighbourhoods cover many health, care, social, voluntary and public sector organisations, coming together to deliver the plan. This way of working is not new. It is building on and helping to grow what is already working in each of our places, creating a consistent framework with local flexibility so that, over time, everyone will be supported by a fully integrated neighbourhood team.
What people have told us they want from integrated neighbourhood health and care services
They want:
- better use of community hubs to deliver healthcare in trusted, accessible spaces
- clearer pathways for accessing services people need to know where to go for different types of care
- improved coordination between NHS, social care, and community services for continuity of care
- focus on preventative care and early intervention to reduce reliance on hospital services
- seamless transition from hospital to home follow-up care after hospital stays must be timely, well-communicated, and accessible to avoid delays in recovery
- a clear desire for inclusivity and accessibility across health services for patients of different backgrounds, specifically regarding language barriers, learning difficulties, disability and LGBTQ+
- mindful of risk of postcode lottery variation in quality and availability of community-based services
What does success look like?
People living in our neighbourhoods will be able to say:
- I experience joined up care, where health, social care, and community services work together so I don’t have to repeat my story and everything feels coordinated.
- I can get care closer to home, with more support available in my community, making it easier to access help when I need it.
- I am supported early, with potential health risks spotted quickly so I can get help before problems become serious.
- I have clear points of contact, so I know who to turn to and my care feels consistent and well-organised.
- I am supported to live well, at every stage of life, including managing long-term conditions and receiving compassionate, coordinated care at the end of life, focused on what matters to me.
- I feel empowered to manage my health, with support to express my needs, plan ahead, and achieve what matters most to me.
People working in our teams will be able to say:
- We work as one team, with shared values, a clear mission, and joint responsibility for the care we provide.
- We have opportunities to grow, develop our skills, knowledge, and experience across roles and organisations to build confidence and resilience.
- We share responsibility for complex needs, working in a culture of trust, collaboration, and joint ownership across organisational boundaries.
- We focus on proactive care, reducing duplication, unnecessary admin, and reactive “fire-fighting” through better coordination.
- We make every contact count, using our skills to support people’s needs, contribute to prevention, guide care, and provide early intervention.
Our health and care system will see:
- Reduced pressure on emergency care as a result of acting earlier and providing stronger community support.
- People leaving hospital sooner because of improved discharge planning, community care, and coordination.
- Hospital care used wisely, focusing on those who need it most.
- Resources used well, more investment in prevention, early help, and keeping people healthy.
- Improved health and fairness in a system that is stronger, more efficient, and financially sustainable.