NHS 10-year plan paves way for GP-led neighbourhood health teams
3 mins read
Tuesday 8 July 2025
New “neighbourhood teams” will provide care for disabled children/those with complex health needs under plans unveiled by the government.
Under proposals set out last week in the new NHS 10-year plan, GPs and paediatricians will lead mental health professionals, health visitors and community workers to run local clinics.
The Plan pledges:
“We will ensure Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, and colleges to offer timely support to children, young people and their families, including those with SEND. Start for Life services will be extended to the whole conception to age five range, enabling additional health visitor and speech and language support for children and their families.”
Contact’s view: A welcome model but sustained investment is vital
Contact welcomes the new healthcare model for children. But sustained investment in the children’s specialist workforce is vital for the new teams making a real difference to families.
Contact’s health lead Amanda Elliot says:
“Neighbourhood teams could bring about integrated care for disabled children in the community, especially children languishing on long waiting lists. But the devil is in the delivery detail and in the way they are funded. Children are 25% of the population, yet account for only 11% of NHS expenditure. There is a huge shortage of doctors and therapists trained to work with our children.
“Children’s health services need a fairer share of health service funding. This is especially so for those with long term conditions, disabilities, and complex needs. Families need speedy access to experts to assess and diagnose their child’s condition and therapists and specialists who can help them thrive, especially in the early years.”
Delayed diagnoses in the early years means too many disabled children start school without anyone understanding their needs and without any support in place.
Amanda adds: “Families deserve better. They need clarity on how the new teams will work and how they will be funded. They need assurances that they will deliver better outcomes for their disabled child.”
What else is in the NHS 10-year plan?
The NHS 10-year plan sets out the government’s long-term priorities for making the NHS “fit for the future”. It proposes three main shifts in healthcare:
- From analogue to digital, with more online and digital consultations.
- From hospital to community, with healthcare delivered in the community led by GPs.
- From sickness to prevention, tackling obesity, smoking, and “early intervention”.
The NHS Plan promises to expand the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme. The programme is currently working in some parts of the country.
The programme uses “entry level” therapists working in educational settings and with parents to support children aged two-11 with mild to moderate speech and language needs.
Other plans for children and families include:
- A new My Children App – a digitised Red Book.
- A major focus on the first 1,001 days of a child’s life through via the new Best Start in Life strategy.
- Genome testing for all newborns.
- Urgently tackling children’s oral health with toothbrushing programmes and “dental therapists”.
- Full national coverage of mental health teams in schools and colleges by 2029/30.
- Additional mental health support via Young Future Hubs.
- Expand free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of Universal Credit.
