Community Health Services: West Midlands
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 90706, how neighbourhood health services in the West Midlands will be staffed in practice; what steps are being taken to address workforce shortages in general practice, community nursing and district nursing; what role Integrated Care Boards and elected local authorities will play in the design and oversight of neighbourhood health services; and how democratic accountability will be ensured.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Neighbourhood health services will bring together integrated neighbourhood teams of professionals and partners closer to people’s home, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, employment support, children’s services, and more, to work together to support people and places to improve their health and wellbeing.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Both ICBs and local health systems will be responsible for designing neighbourhood health services and centres that reflect the needs of their local populations. This will be the case for determining neighbourhood health services and staffing in the West Midlands.
The 10-Year Health Plan committed to neighbourhood health plans that will be drawn up in partnership with ICBs, local authorities, and partners.
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