Greenwich and Lewisham have been chosen to enter the development phase of a new neighbourhood-health investment model, selected as two of six first-wave trailblazer sites. Over a six-month period, councils, NHS services, community organisations and social investors will work together to develop business cases before any investment is confirmed.
What has been announced
Greenwich and Lewisham were named among six first-wave neighbourhood-health trailblazer sites selected to take forward the development phase of a neighbourhood-health investment model. The selection puts the two boroughs into the initial cohort tasked with preparing the detail required to consider future investment.
The project brings together local government, NHS services, community organisations and social investors. That partnership approach is part of the agreed design for the development phase. The work in each borough will focus on producing business cases and associated documentation during the agreed six-month period.
How the development phase will work
The development period will run for six months and is explicitly intended to produce business cases before any investment decisions are made. The business cases are described as the next step that would inform any decision on whether to proceed to investment.
During the six-month period, the involved parties will collaborate to assemble the evidence, options and proposals required to complete the business cases. The activity will include work by councils, NHS services, community organisations and social investors. The outcome of that work will determine whether and when investment is confirmed.
The selection for the development phase does not itself confirm funding. The purpose of the trailblazer stage is to develop and test business cases and to clarify the terms on which any future investment might be considered.
What this means locally
For Greenwich and Lewisham, the announcement initiates a period of design and planning. Local partners will be expected to contribute to the business-case process over the six months set out for the development phase.
The designation as a trailblazer site is a formal step in the staged approach to the neighbourhood-health investment model. It places the two boroughs within the first wave of areas tasked with creating the detailed proposals that would underpin any subsequent funding decisions.
The six-month timeline sets a clear window for preparation of the business cases but does not commit any body to later action beyond completing that preparatory work. Any future confirmation of investment will follow the completion and assessment of the business cases developed during the trailblazer phase.
Partners and process
The development work explicitly involves councils, NHS services, community organisations and social investors. Those partners will work together to gather the information and shape the proposals required by the business-case process.
The role of social investors in the development phase is part of the broader model design and will form one element of the collaborative process during the six months. The precise scope and scale of any later investment will be subject to the business-case outcomes and to any subsequent decision-making processes.
The selection of Greenwich and Lewisham for the first-wave trailblazer cohort marks the start of a defined development period rather than the start of confirmed funding or immediate clinical change. The six-month business-case phase will determine whether investment is appropriate and what form it might take.
