Correspondence between Cantley Village Hall chair and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

A primary focus in our plans for a new village hall is for the building to also serve as a neighbourhood health centre. We are making continuous efforts to attract funding for a new building that will, among other things, bring healthcare closer to our community members. We have recently met with Jerome Mayhew, MP for Broadland and Fakenham, to ask for support and guidance on how to attract the correct funding for our cause and how to make representatives and stakeholders aware of our plans and their necessity for funding. Below are letters of correspondence resulting from our efforts to ensure we are seeking funding for relevant and sustainable plans.

The response from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to Cantley Village Hall's letter of support regarding neighbourhood health centres:

Dear Mr Heard, Thank you for your correspondence of 8 July to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding your support for neighbourhood health centres (NHC) and the role of community assets. I have been asked to reply, and I apologise for the delay in doing so. Thank you for your suggestion for Cantley Village Hall as a local NHC in Norfolk. The Government know the right infrastructure is needed in the right place to deliver on our manifesto commitment of creating a true Neighbourhood Health Service. The Government intends to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community across the country over the course of the Ten-Year Health Plan. The Department is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations. The Department will start in some of the communities where healthy life expectancy is lowest, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, maximising value for money and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most. Wherever possible, the Government will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing NHS and public sector estate. To support this, information has been requested from systems on local assets they already have. As strategic commissioners, integrated care boards will be key in identifying where NHCs are required, where more efficient and effective use could be made of existing assets, and defining their requirements for an NHC in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area. Further information on next steps will be confirmed in due course. I hope this reply is helpful. Yours sincerely, Correspondence Officer Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Department of Health and Social Care

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Response from from MP Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care to MP Jerome Mayhew's letter on behalf of Stephen Heard, Chair of Cantley Village Hall:

Dear Jerome, Thank you for your correspondence of 14 October on behalf of Mr Stephen Heard, Chair of Trustees of Cantley Village Hall CIO, about neighbourhood health centres. I apologise for the delay in replying. An official replied to Mr Heard’s letter of 8 July to the Secretary of State on 3 October (our ref: DE-1622565). I enclose a copy of that reply for your information, and I apologise for the delay. The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can: digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and in a hospital only if necessary. Neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up NHS, local authority and voluntary services as a one-stop shop. Our aim is to have a neighbourhood health centre in each community, which brings together NHS, local authority and voluntary sector services in one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations. Roll-out will be progressive over this Parliament, with early sites focused on areas of greatest need. We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme to support systems across the country in driving innovation and integration at a local level to improve the care they provide to their communities. This is a large-scale change programme for all partners involved in delivering neighbourhood health: the NHS, local government, social care providers, other statutory and non-statutory organisations and the voluntary sector. There will be a strong focus on co-production and working with the people and communities they serve, and taking a ‘test, learn and grow’ approach in line with the wider public sector reform agenda. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns or deprived inner cities. We are developing a national framework to support local areas to develop neighbourhood health plans under the leadership of health and wellbeing boards (HWBs). The framework, to be published shortly, will set out how the NHS, local authorities and partners should work together under the leadership of HWBs to develop and implement plans.. Yours sincerely, Stephen Kinnock