Community Health Services: Rural Areas

Integrated care boards are responsible for the planning and commissioning of community health services. In doing so, integrated care boards (ICBs) must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations as part of the shift from hospitals to community.

We know people are waiting too long for community health services. That is why, for the first time, we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium-Term Planning Framework.

By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.

In 2025, we published for the first time an overview of the core community health services, Standardising Community Health Services, that ICBs should consider when planning for their local populations to support improved commissioning and delivery of community health services, a vital part of neighbourhood health. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for ICBs.

A consistent definition of core community health services will enable systems to measure demand, capacity, and workforce, and reduce unwarranted variation.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. 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.