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Neighbourhood health reform: Social care must be ‘empowered’ to drive ‘meaningful change’


Social care providers must be “finally recognised” as “fundamental to the system” and “positioned as a strategic partner and treated as an equal in both commissioning and delivery” if government neighbourhood health reforms are to “deliver meaningful change for people, not just structural reform”, Care England has warned. The comments came after


the government issued a detailed framework detailing changes it expects on the ground from the neighbourhood health reforms it set out in its 10-year plan last year, which aims to shift care away from hospitals and into the community. The guidance includes how new Integrated


Care Teams (ICTs) should work across local health and care systems and the actions it wants to see for ‘high-priority cohorts” including people with dementia and COPD. The new neighbourhood health framework


signals a move away from care homes as isolated settings towards facilities being integrated into the local community as core neighbourhood assets. As part of this Integrated Care Boards


(ICBs) and local authorities are expected to jointly plan ‘neighbourhood health models’ to bring an end to siloed commissioning between health and social care. This approach will see care home funding


and health support (like GP ‘in-reach’ into homes) to be planned as a single, integrated pathway coordinated around shared care plans. It will be underpinned by a home first


mandate, and a reduction in long-term care home placements will be seen as central measure of success. Commissioners are expected to invest in


‘step-up’ and ‘step-down’ intermediate care to keep older people in their own homes for longer, and the government wants to see care home places increasingly commissioned for short-term rehabilitation over permanent residency. In a foreword to the new guidance,


care minister Stephen Kinnock said the framework was part of the government’s aim to remove “rules, regulations and roadblocks”


12 www.thecarehomeenvironment April 2026


in the way of “staff working tirelessly to change the way the health and care system works to make it better for communities.” He added the


guidance “is designed to support ICBs and local authorities, including health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and their local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) and wider system partners to deliver …the truly modern


service that people, communities and staff are crying out for”. Care England leader Professor Martin


Green said the organisation welcomed “the recognition of social care as a core partner within neighbourhood health and its role in delivering more co-ordinated, community- based care,” but warned it “must not become another layer of system architecture without clear accountability or impact.” “Integrated Neighbourhood Teams will


only succeed if they are backed by genuine resource, not simply a reorganisation of existing pressures,” he said. “At present, there is limited clarity on


funding, delivery expectations, and how success will be measured across health and social care. “Government must ensure these teams are


properly empowered, with social care finally recognised as fundamental to the system. It must be positioned as a strategic partner and treated as an equal in both commissioning and delivery, so that neighbourhood health delivers meaningful change for people, not just structural reform,” he added.


Visiting rights could become law


Allowing visitors into care homes could become law if a fresh bid to ensure providers remove ‘unnecessary barriers’ to residents seeing ‘families and loved ones’ isn’t effective, the government has said.


Ministers are ‘exploring’ bringing forward proposals for legislating visiting rights as part of wider reform work’ to ‘further strengthen visiting rights’ in care and health settings after a review of regulations strengthened in 2024 ‘revealed that many people continue to face barriers in visitation,’ the Department of Health and Social Care said.


The Department said in the meantime it will send draft advice to care homes, hospitals, and hospice providers that will explain any necessary visiting restrictions in place to residents, patients, and family members.


It also said it would produce a ‘public- facing decision-making process map which sets out important considerations for providers when making decisions about restrictions.


An explainer sheet or poster for people that details their visiting ‘rights’ under the relevant Regulation 9A and routes to complain if they feel these are not being followed will also be made available, the Department said.


The materials will be co-produced with people who have experience of the system, so they reflect ‘real needs’, according to the recent announcement, which added that ministers ‘will work closely with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ‘make sure visiting is a core part of its reform programme’.


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