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Neighbourhood Care: The Future of Care Starts at Home
Across England, integrated neighbourhood teams are proving what happens when health professionals, social workers, housing officers and community support workers come together to deliver coordinated, person-centred support.
These teams are breaking down organisational silos and moving care closer to home, keeping people independent whilst easing pressure on acute services.
Neighbourhood Care: Explore Your Journey
Discover how Access solutions enable neighbourhood care across different settings. Explore the map to see how our integrated technology supports teams wherever care happens.
Why Neighbourhood-Based Models?
The Challenge
The care system is stretched across every sector. Delayed discharges are costing hundreds of thousands of bed days monthly, with 70% of hospital beds occupied by people with long-term conditions who could be better supported in community settings. Social care faces severe workforce shortages with vacancy rates three times the national average, whilst demand for community-based support continues climbing. Hospital waiting lists exceed 7 million people, and local authorities face mounting pressure to provide care at home for those who need it.
The Opportunity
Neighbourhood care models offer a solution. Proactive, community-based interventions have been seen to deliver £14 return for every £1 invested, helping eight in ten people who complete reablement become independent with no further support needed.As a result, hospital admissions have been reduced, less people are requiring care home placements, and teams have been able to coordinate better thanks to having the right digital infrastructure in place
The evidence clearly shows that neighbourhood models work. Making them the standard across the UK is the next major step in healing the holes in the sector.
Neighbourhood Health Teams in Action
Join Dr Harpreet Sood, GP and Access Advisory Board Member, in conversation with Laura Thompson, Director of Public Sector Marketing at Access, as they explore how neighbourhood health teams can transform care delivery across the UK.
Key topics covered:
- The Shift from hospital to community care
- Breaking down silos through integrated digital infrastructure
- Technology and reform in neighbourhood models
- Practical implementation steps
Customer Success: London Borough of Sutton
Transforming community care through technology and partnership
London Borough of Sutton deployed The Access Group’s Technology Enabled Care solution to shift from reactive alarm systems to proactive, data-driven support for residents living independently at home.
Implementing Activities of Daily Living sensors and creating a community shop for training and engagement has enabled Sutton to direct 20-25 residents per month to the NHS 2-hour Urgent Community Response team. Unnecessary hospital admissions have been avoided as a result, whilst giving families, loved ones, and the carers themselves, peace of mind.
“For me, this technology has allowed me to spend more time helping residents in meaningful ways. It’s a new way of working, and it’s made my job more satisfying." - Former unpaid carer, London Borough of Sutton
Your Complete Guide to Integrated Neighbourhood Teams
Download our comprehensive guide exploring what Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are, why they matter, and how to implement them effectively across health, social care and local government settings.
Inside you'll discover:
- The strategic drivers behind neighbourhood care models
- Key components of successful multidisciplinary teams
- Technology infrastructure requirements
- Implementation frameworks and best practices
- Case studies demonstrating measurable outcomes
Technology That Connects the Neighbourhood
Effective neighbourhood delivery requires digital infrastructure that breaks down silos and enables seamless coordination. Our integrated solutions support teams in every setting and at every stage of the journey:
Access Rio EPR
Comprehensive electronic patient records that centralise clinical information across mental health, community health and child health settings. Rio gives neighbourhood teams real-time access to care histories, enabling coordinated treatment plans and seamless information sharing across health services.
Access Mosaic
Social care case management software that empowers local authorities to deliver person-centred support, manage assessments, and coordinate care packages across neighbourhoods. Mosaic integrates with health systems to ensure social care teams have the full picture when planning support.
Access Elemental
Social prescribing software connecting clinical and social care systems with community services. Creates comprehensive directories of local support whilst enabling teams to co-produce care plans that address both health and social needs.
Access Intelligent Care Platform (AICP)
Real-time data access across multiple systems. AICP provides population insights, risk identification and outcome tracking that help neighbourhood teams target support where it's needed most.
Technology Enabled Care Solutions
Monitoring and support technology that keeps people safe at home. From virtual wards to wearable sensors, our TEC solutions enable teams to intervene early and maintain independence for longer.
Explore All Things Neighbourhoods
Looking for more insights, articles and implementation guidance? Our Neighbourhood Care Resource Hub brings together comprehensive resources spanning health, social care, local government and Technology Enabled Care.
Ready to support your neighbourhood teams with integrated technology?
Neighbourhood Care FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Integrated Neighbourhood Teams?
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) are multidisciplinary groups bringing together health professionals, social workers, community nurses, mental health clinicians, housing officers and voluntary sector partners to deliver coordinated, person-centred care within specific communities. They work collaboratively to address both health and social care needs whilst tackling wider determinants like housing, loneliness and financial security.
Why is neighbourhood care important?
Neighbourhood care models enable earlier intervention, reduce crisis admissions, and keep people independent in their own communities for longer. Evidence shows they deliver better value (£14 return for every £1 invested) whilst improving outcomes and reducing pressure on hospitals. Nearly 70% of hospital stays involve people with long-term conditions who could be better supported through neighbourhood models.
What technology do neighbourhood teams need?
Effective neighbourhood delivery requires integrated digital infrastructure including shared care records across health and social care, care coordination platforms that connect multidisciplinary teams, social prescribing systems linking to community services, population health management tools for identifying risk, and Technology Enabled Care solutions for remote monitoring and virtual wards.
How do neighbourhood teams work with social prescribing?
Social prescribing is embedded within neighbourhood teams as part of personalised care offerings. Link workers collaborate with GPs, social workers and community support workers to connect people with local services addressing social determinants of health like isolation, housing issues and financial concerns. Integrated platforms enable referrals to flow seamlessly between clinical and community services.
What are the benefits of Technology Enabled Care in neighbourhoods?
Technology Enabled Care (TEC) enables people to maintain independence at home through remote monitoring, early intervention alerts and proactive support. TEC helps neighbourhood teams identify changes in daily living patterns, prevent hospital admissions, reduce delayed discharges and support families with real-time insights. Local authorities using TEC have demonstrated significant savings whilst improving quality of life.
How can local authorities implement neighbourhood care models?
Implementation requires mapping local population needs, recruiting multidisciplinary teams, investing in integrated digital infrastructure, establishing clear governance and accountability, and building partnerships across health, social care, housing and voluntary sectors. Technology platforms that enable data sharing, care coordination and outcome tracking are essential to delivering neighbourhood models at scale.