Health Services and Social Services: Lincolnshire

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see the National Health Service and local government working more closely together. In March 2026 we published a Neighbourhood Health Framework to empower local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. The framework is designed to provide clarity and consistency to support joined-up partnership working between integrated care boards and local authorities, as they work together through Health and Wellbeing Boards and with their partners, to develop locally led Neighbourhood Health Plans.

The Better Care Fund forms an important enabler of neighbourhood health. It is a framework for integrated care boards and local authorities to make joint plans and pool budgets for the purposes of delivering better joined-up care. For 2026/27, local areas were required to start to align their plans for pooled funding with their wider approach to the development of neighbourhood health plans.

In September 2025, we launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 places across England, including North East Lincolnshire. The NNHIP has been supporting places accelerate their progress in developing neighbourhood health, capture impact, and share learning across the country.