Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs): Delivering Person-Centred, Proactive, Community-Based Care
By Professor Kevin Moore and Dr. Amar S. Bhogal
The NHS is undergoing critical reform by shifting towards a neighbourhood health model, designed to deliver more care at or near home, improve access and outcomes, and improve sustainability in the face of rising multimorbidity and health complexity.
With more people living longer but with complex needs, the current fragmented system – marked by poor communication, duplicated efforts, and siloed care – leads to unnecessary delays, waste, and widespread dissatisfaction among both patients and professionals.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) are local multidisciplinary teams that bring together professionals from primary care, community health, mental health, social care and the voluntary sector to deliver person-centred, coordinated care, often at a neighbourhood or Primary Care Network (PCN) level.
It is built to support the 7% of the population who have complex health and social needs but account for approximately 46% of hospital costs (1).
The Vanguard programme (2015-2018, NHSE) laid the groundwork for this integrated approach, developing some 50+ Vanguard sites across England. Each testing various care models to improve patient outcomes, reduce fragmentation in care delivery, and better integrate services across health and social care.
Key Features of INTs:
Person-centred care: Focused on the needs of individuals, particularly those with complex or long-term conditions.
Proactive support: Aims to prevent crisis through earlier intervention.
Close to home: Delivers care in community settings or at home, reducing reliance on hospitals.
Integrated working: Breaks down silos between services and promotes shared decision-making and accountability.
Holistic support: Covers all stages of life and levels of need—children to the elderly, acute to chronic care, prevention to palliative.
Diagram showing the aims for all neighbourhoods over the next 5 to 10 years
Source: NHS England, Neighbourhood Health Guidelines 2025–26 (2)
How can Salutare help Integrated Neighbourhood Teams?
Salutare’s software is strategically aligned to amplify the positive impact of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams. This improves both efficiency and patient experience through interoperability and accessibility.
1. Pharmacy-Led Phlebotomy with Centralised Digital Access
Our digital phlebotomy solution combines all hospital and GP requests into a single online portal that staff can access anywhere. This means that Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) can access all blood test requests without the need of a paper form. This creates the possibility of Pharmacy Phlebotomy.
Given that the average patient lives 7.5 miles from a hospital (1), empowering pharmacies as local phlebotomy hubs can significantly reduce travel burdens. To further increase the equity of access, bookings can be made via an online portal or a multi-lingual telephone service.
2. Cross-Sector MDT Enablement with Salutare ONE
Salutare ONE Referral makes multi-disciplinary team meetings possible across Primary Care to Mental Health to Social workers, to Schools, Police and other stakeholders. It uses multi-factor authentication and works across multiple electronic patient record (EPR) systems, eliminating compatibility issues. This is especially valuable for complex cases requiring safeguarding, education health care plans (EHCPs), or social interventions.
3. Long-Term Condition Monitoring Through Automation
Salutare ONE Monitor automates the generation of test requests for patients with chronic diseases, reducing dependency on outpatient clinics. By linking with Pharmacy Phlebotomy, staff can monitor patients more conveniently.
Patients complete online symptom questionnaires, generating data that tracks changes, evaluates treatment effectiveness, and flags when escalation is needed.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams will benefit immensely from predictive analytics. By harnessing Salutare’s anonymised, aggregated data, teams can move beyond reactive care to predict and prevent. From mapping local health trends to identifying at-risk groups and targeting resources more effectively, this data-driven approach empowers INTs to deliver smarter, fairer, and more sustainable care; making Salutare not just a tool for today’s coordination, but tomorrow’s transformation.
References
NHS England. Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025–26. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/neighbourhood-health-guidelines-2025-26/
NHS England. Neighbourhood Health Teams Conceptual Diagram. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Diagram-showing-the-aims-for-all-neighbourhoods-over-the-next-5-to-10-years.png
About the Authors
Dr. Kevin Moore is a Liver Expert for the Courts, where he provides an independent opinion on the care provided by other doctors. As a Professor of Hepatology and Clinical Pharmacologist at University College London, his expertise in drug safety monitoring and adherence to national guidelines provides a unique perspective on the healthcare system's successes and failures. With over two decades of specialized experience in liver transplantation and general hepatology, he brings substantial clinical and academic authority to both patient care and medical-legal evaluations, along with a keen understanding of the practical challenges facing modern healthcare delivery.
Kevin Moore at UCL, Royal Free has authored over 100 research papers with an H index of 64 and is the author of the Oxford Handbook of Acute Medicine.
Dr. Amar S. Bhogal is a junior doctor in the United Kingdom, dedicated to enhancing patient outcomes through the integration of advanced healthcare technologies. He has a robust background in medical research, having served as a Research Assistant at University College London's Institute for Liver and Digestive Health. His work has been pivotal in exploring the application of remote technology to support acute inpatient and transitional care, particularly for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Beyond clinical medicine, Dr. Bhogal has held leadership roles in both the publishing and education sectors. He worked with Elsevier as a commissioning and managing editor for oncology journals, playing a key role in curating and advancing high-impact scientific research. Additionally, he served as a director for an educational startup focused on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds, demonstrating his commitment to widening access to education and fostering opportunities for young learners.
Passionate about the transformative potential of healthcare technologies, Dr. Bhogal is focused on leveraging innovative solutions to improve clinical practices and patient care.
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