Neighbourhood Health and Social Care
Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Contributions
Question
Asked by
Baroness Thornton
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the integration of neighbourhood health and social care, and on what timetable.
Baroness Thornton (Lab)
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and I draw the House’s attention to my register of interests.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, this Government support the integration of neighbourhood health and social care. Our approach to neighbourhood health brings services together so that people experience more joined-up and person-centred care, including from integrated neighbourhood teams. In March, we published the Neighbourhood Health Framework , promoting joined-up partnership arrangements between ICBs and local authorities and asking health and well-being boards to develop neighbourhood health plans for implementation from 2027-28 at the latest.
Baroness Thornton (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for that Answer. I felt moved to put this Question because there seems to be more hope today than for many years that local integration of social care, health and primary care might happen. With so many moving parts in the reform agenda—the Casey review, the 10-year plan and so on—there may be a danger of reform steaming ahead without the voices and views of patients, carers and those with lived experience being properly baked into the design process. I seek reassurance from my noble friend that those voices will indeed be heard and heeded.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
I certainly can give that reassurance to my noble friend. I am glad she recognises that our move towards neighbourhood health is not just a shift on paper but a real turnaround in how we see people and services. Coproduction is required for neighbourhood health plans, which would be all the poorer if we did not include the voices to which she refers.
Baroness Manzoor (Con)
My Lords, integration is harder than colocation. For instance, housing and social isolation are key detriments to health, yet they sit outside the NHS. Therefore, a social worker sitting next to a GP may be helpful, but the reality is that this social worker will not get extra money, extra access to health beds in the community or extra staff. What will the Government do to erase these difficulties, particularly when the health needs of the population are growing and the workforce has not kept pace with the complex needs of the ageing population?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Baroness is quite right to talk about people having more complex needs, and, indeed, we are also living longer. However, the current health system is organised around institutions and services that are complex, disjointed and difficult to navigate, as she said. On housing, for example, I know that the health and well-being boards, which are the key to this, can design themselves to bring in services. I can think of a number which have already done that and included people from housing in the way that she describes. It is absolutely encouraged and health and well-being boards across the country are already doing that.
Baroness Pidgeon (LD)
My Lords, a recent workforce assessment by Skills for Care found that adult social care in England still had around 96,000 vacancies and projected that a further 410,000 posts will be needed by 2040 to meet demand. What are the Government doing to address these shortages and deliver genuine integrated patient services?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
We recognise the continuing challenge that we inherited in terms of workforce, but that is why we are investing in the adult social care workforce. In 2028, the first ever fair pay agreement will come in, which will be backed by £500 million of funding. It will improve pay and conditions for the workforce, which is crucial. We are also implementing the first ever universal career structure for the adult social care workforce, as well as investing up to £10 million this year in the learning and development support scheme. This, along with all the other changes, will make a massive difference to the workforce in terms of retention, recruitment and development.
Lord John of Southwark (Lab)
My Lords, my noble friend has already mentioned health and well-being boards, in which local government is a key participant and player. Having said that, and with the Government’s commitment to devolution in mind, can she tell us more about the role that local government will play in improvements to health and social care going forward? I am delighted to declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
My noble friend is right to identify that, if we are going to deliver neighbourhood healthcare and make improvements in social care, we have to join up the NHS and local government. That is key to our whole approach to neighbourhood health. That is why health and well-being boards, which are responsible for drawing up the local plans for what the locality needs, will bring together and have on them local authority representation and voice, along with the NHS and others. We will manage this only by doing so, because, in order to reduce health inequalities and deliver locally, it cannot just sit with one. I am grateful to local government for what it is doing.
Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (CB)
My Lords, will the Minister explain how health and social care will be planned to ensure intergenerational input, in particular from young carers and young people, who often have very good innovative ideas about how to provide such services?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
That is a very good point. Young carers are sometimes left out, to the detriment, as I said earlier, of services and policy. I bring us back to the requirement in the Ne ighbourhood H ealth F ramework , which we published just in March of this year, and add to that our introduction of neighbourhood health centre schemes across the country. The voices of local people, particularly those in the higher-priority cohorts, which can include young carers, will be heard and be part of the coproduction of how we provide neighbourhood health and social care.
Lord Kamall (Con)
My Lords, the noble Baroness said that the health and well-being boards will be responsible for making sure that there are sufficient social care services at the neighbourhood level. Following the question of the noble Lord, Lord John, to whom will they be accountable if they do not deliver sufficient social care at the neighbourhood level?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The N eighbourhood H ealth F ramework published in March, which I mentioned, requires local systems to develop neighbourhood health plans. That will give a very clear basis for measuring impact, which we do not have at the moment. I certainly agree with the noble Lord that it is not about the quality of the plan but about the quality of delivery. That is why the framework empowers local leaders in five minimum national goals that include, for example, as we have discussed many times, improving access to general practice, as well as the join-up with social care.
Baroness Nargund (Lab)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a former vice-chair and trustee of the British Red Cross. I have seen at first hand how the British Red Cross delivers health and social care across communities in our country by helping people to transition from hospital to home, giving them independence at home and avoiding readmissions. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that bringing together the voluntary sector with local authorities and the NHS will help to deliver more connected, effective and compassionate social care in every postcode?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
I certainly agree with my noble friend on that point. That is why achieving neighbourhood health will rely critically on that strong partnership, which will include civil society, as she says.
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
My Lords, the noble Baroness did not answer the question from my noble friend the Front Bench spokesman on who will be accountable if this does not work out properly.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
All the local systems have their line of accountability, with which I know noble Lords are familiar. Currently, for example, ICBs report to NHS England. Subject to the passing of the Health Bill, that will now come within the department and there will be an accountability mechanism. Transparency will be a key part of that. If noble Lords have any particular concerns, I am always happy to hear them.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5408136.