Across the NHS, the conversation is shifting. Slowly but unmistakably, we are beginning to recognise community services are not just an adjunct to the acute sector — they are the essential foundation of a health system that is fit for the future.

But we cannot afford to move slowly anymore. As health inequalities deepen and demand on services intensifies, we are at a critical inflection point. 

If we are serious about creating a health system that is preventative, personalised and place-based, then community health services must move from the margins to the mainstream. Not as a safety net when hospitals are overwhelmed, but as the cornerstone of a new kind of health service.

Too often, community care is cast in a supporting role: helping to reduce avoidable admissions, freeing up beds, smoothing discharge. These functions are vital, but they are not the whole story and are certainly not the most transformative part of it.

Community services have their own intrinsic value. Every day, we operate in the places where people work, play, grow and age. 

We hold the trusted relationships, the deep local knowledge and the unique capability to support people across the spectrum of need; physical, mental and social. In doing so, we enable independence, reduce reliance on crisis care and create the conditions for healthier lives.

But more than that — the community is often the right place, the preferred place and, in many cases, the safest place to receive care. 

It's where people feel most comfortable, where support can be delivered in the context of people's lives and routines and where care can truly be personalised and preventative.

If we are to rise to the opportunity presented in the 10-Year Health Plan, community trusts like ours must also evolve.

The Government's vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service is bold and welcome. But it won't be achieved by scaling up the status quo. It requires a transformation in how community services work — and in how we see ourselves.

At CLCH, our new corporate strategy, Healthy Neighbourhoods and Thriving Communities, sets out a clear ambition: to create a flourishing, integrated neighbourhood health service, rooted in place, designed with communities and capable of tackling today's most urgent health challenges.

As leaders, we need to be as comfortable in a community hall as we are in a boardroom. We need to listen as much as we lead. And we need to focus not just on delivering excellent care — but on taking responsibility for creating the conditions in which communities can thrive.

Our strategy at CLCH is anchored around four priority actions that reflect this new direction: 

Standardising our core offer: We are working across systems to reduce unwarranted variation and create more consistent, high-quality community services for everyone. We believe every resident has the right to know what care they can receive in their community. 

Co-developing integrated models of care: We are building multidisciplinary teams that wrap around families and individuals — tackling the most pressing population health needs at a neighbourhood level. This work doesn't stop at frontline delivery; we are also stepping up at place — taking responsibility for convening and facilitating partnerships, aligning organisations around shared goals and creating the conditions for collaborative, community-led change.

Investing in our workforce: Our teams are our greatest asset. We're working to ensure they reflect the communities they serve, are supported to innovate and are empowered to lead transformation from the frontline.

Future-proofing our enablers: From digital tools and estates to data and governance, we are redesigning the scaffolding of our services so that community care can lead, not lag behind.

None of this will be easy. The road ahead requires bold policy choices, long-term investment and a willingness to challenge conventional hierarchies within health and care. To truly unlock the potential of community care, we must confront a longstanding truth: community services have been chronically underinvested in — financially, strategically and politically. 

If we want community healthcare to drive improvements in care quality, productivity and outcomes, we need to turn that tide now. Investment in community trusts is a catalyst. With the right support, we can accelerate innovation, embed more efficient models of care and deliver better results for the populations we serve. It requires courage from us, in community trusts, to step forward, speak up and lead as the focal point of our system moves, rightly so, into our communities. 

We believe the Neighbourhood Health Service isn't just a future aspiration; it's a call to action. And we are proud to be trailblazing that future