Herefordshire has been named as one of just 43 areas in England selected to take part in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP), a major NHS initiative aimed at transforming how health and care services are delivered.

The programme, announced yesterday (Tues Sept 9), is part of the Government’s Ten-Year Health Plan and focuses on shifting care closer to home, preventing illness, and supporting people with complex needs through joined-up services.

It encourages local innovation and collaboration, helping areas test new approaches and scale up what works.

Herefordshire’s inclusion in the first wave of NNHIP sites recognises the strong foundations already in place through the One Herefordshire Partnership, which brings together NHS providers, GPs, local government, and the voluntary sector to deliver integrated care.

Jane Ives, Managing Director of Wye Valley NHS Trust and Chairman of the One Herefordshire Partnership, said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen as one of the pilot areas for this important national programme.

“It’s a real endorsement of the hard work our partnership has put in over the years to bring together public sector and voluntary organisations to work in collaboration.

“Together, we’ve built a strong platform for delivering high-quality health and care services that meet the needs of local people by breaking down the traditional organisational boundaries which have, so often in the past, become barriers to collaborative working.”

For residents, this means more personalised and accessible care, with services designed around neighbourhoods - making it easier to get support locally, stay well at home, and avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

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Notes to Editors WVT:

• For details of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme from the GOV.UK news website, follow THIS LINK
• Wye Valley NHS Trust is a provider of health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve.
• By working closely with our partners, we can make good our promise to deliver a quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.
• With an estimated annual turnover of around £295 million, we employ around 3,000 staff. We aim to build new relationships between our staff, patients, service users and their carers with the wider community.

For further information please contact:

Fiona Gurney, communications officer, or John Burnett, Communication and Engagement Manager, Wye Valley NHS Trust: 01432 372928