The two-day simulation was delivered by management consultancy PPL in partnership with NHS Providers and support from Optum and Feedback Medical.

Over 60 professionals from 40 organisations representing health, social care, local government, VCSE partners and public services participated, with people with lived experience taking part as residents and patients.

The simulation was set in the fictional borough of Millborne of 290,000 residents. Services included GP surgeries, community pharmacies, community and acute hospitals, a children's hub, school, care home, town hall, café, residential spaces, neighbourhood health centre and a range of VCSFE organisations.

Multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams worked across organisational boundaries to deliver healthcare pathways with a single point of access and shared digital infrastructure.

A PPL report stated: ‘The turning point of the simulation came when professionals began working as a team-of-teams, organised around the resident and their needs, rather than organisational boundaries. This shift didn't happen instantly; it took time, negotiation and shared purpose, and residents felt that transition in real time. But once the team settled into this way of working, the residents reported that their care became more holistic, more consistent, and more human.'

Outcomes included:

• £77m reduction in unplanned hospital activity
• improvement across all public population segments, particularly those with frailty, multiple complex conditions, major chronic conditions and high complexity pregnancy
• 25% reduction (119,600) in outpatient appointments
• 14% reduction (8,840) in unplanned inpatient appointments
• 11% drop in GP appointments supported by a 28% rise in VCSFE support
• 2,300 residents supported back into work
• 100% of residents more able to make decisions about their care
• 100% of residents receiving clearer and more relevant information
• 100% of residents reporting a better experience of being listened to by public services.