Chris Morley (Locality Director for Plymouth, NHS Devon ICB) introduced the NHS 10-Year Plan and Integrated Neighbourhood Teams report and discussed:

a)     The NHS 10-Year Plan was published on 3 July 2025 and centred on three key shifts: moving from acute to community care, shifting from treatment to prevention, and maximising digital opportunities;

b)    The plan emphasised reducing waiting lists, tackling inequalities, and improving convenience for individuals, alongside a new operating model for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to act as strategic commissioners and reduce running costs to free up frontline resources;

c)     Workforce was highlighted as a central priority, ensuring staff were better treated, motivated, and supported with training and career development;

d)    Devon’s engagement plan was considered a leading example nationally, with significant feedback from Plymouth, including two well-attended workshops and drop-in sessions. A substantial proportion of national feedback came from Devon;

e)     Key feedback themes included valuing the NHS as free at the point of access, prioritising workforce as the most valuable asset, improving access and personalisation, addressing primary care and mental health waiting times, and recognising low satisfaction levels with NHS operations. Funding the NHS sufficiently was seen as a priority;

f)      The three shifts outlined in the plan were discussed:

                i.         Hospital to community: More investment in frontline services and reduction in management costs;

              ii.         Sickness to prevention: Better access to diagnostics and preventative services, and education strategies to build confidence in self-care;

             iii.         Analog to digital: Leveraging technology while addressing mistrust of AI, ensuring data safety, and avoiding digital exclusion;

g)     Integrated Neighbourhood Teams were identified as a golden thread within the plan, requiring a neighbourhood-focused operating model. Plymouth’s Local Care Partnership (LCP) would drive local development, supported by a Devon-wide steering group;

h)    Plymouth had submitted an application to join the national Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme during a three-week summer window, with 25 partners signing up, the highest number in Devon. Although unsuccessful in wave one, discussions with NHS England were ongoing to position Plymouth for wave two in March next year;

i)      Partners committed to progressing work regardless, revisiting foundations to define vision, co-produce offers with communities, and pilot initiatives to accelerate learning;

j)      The emerging Devon Health and Care Strategy proposed a neighbourhood delivery model for populations of 30,000–50,000, integrating health, social care, and voluntary services, alongside place-level and specialist services where appropriate;

k)     Current priorities included defining neighbourhood footprints, implementing risk stratification tools, and aligning governance through the LCP. The ambition was to accelerate progress while maintaining co-design principles.

In response to questions, the Board discussed:

l)      The importance of co-designing neighbourhood footprints with all partners, including the Council, Livewell Southwest, UHP, primary care, and the voluntary sector, ensuring alignment with natural communities and insights;

m)   The need to temper optimism with reality, recognising that healthcare delivery would change significantly and require clear communication to the public about benefits and implications;

n)    Concerns about public dissatisfaction with NHS services and the lack of joined-up IT systems. Assurance was given that digital architecture improvements were underway to enable data sharing and interoperability;

o)    The Health and Wellbeing Board’s oversight role was confirmed, including responsibility for signing off the neighbourhood health plan as part of the annual operational planning process. Timelines were tight, and additional Board meetings might be required;

p)    Alignment with the government’s Families First programme for children was discussed, with assurance that local efforts would integrate both agendas to avoid duplication and confusion;

q)    Members requested health partners’ views on local government reorganisation and its impact on healthcare delivery, with a commitment to share insights directly with all councillors;

r)     UHP expressed strong support for integrated neighbourhood teams, noting recent investment of £6–7 million into community care and the need for bold timelines and robust governance to manage shared risk and accountability;

s)     The importance of recognising Plymouth’s tertiary and specialist care capabilities in the plan was highlighted;

t)     Livewell Southwest reiterated support for the neighbourhood model and stressed the need to maintain momentum following the summer bid, accelerate governance, and improve public messaging to avoid alienating communities with technical terminology;

u)    Members emphasised the opportunity to align governance with prevention agendas and winter planning priorities, and the need for flexible, hyper-local approaches within larger neighbourhood footprints;

Action: Requested clarification on how young people would be consulted and engaged throughout the development of Neighbourhood planning;

Action: Requested that consultation was shared with all councillors in addition to the relevant committees to ensure that wholistic community views were captured.

The Board agreed:

1. To review, comment on, and debate the content of the report and its implications for Board partners;

2. To be kept informed of progress and convene additional Health and Wellbeing Board meetings if required to meet national timelines.