The left-shift in action: putting community first in UK health policy

It’s well documented that community and prevention are going to be cornerstones of healthcare policy in both the short and long term. Wes Streeting has positioned them as central to his ambitions, and they are expected to make up significant proportion of the 10 Year Health Plan.

At ZPB, we are fully behind ambitions to take the left-shift ‘plunge’.

While we may work across the length and breadth of health and care, some of our most interesting work has been in the community, helping people to access treatment and care in a place that works for them. Recent examples have included defining the value of the clinical homecare industry to patients and the NHS, driving uptake of NHSE’s at home hepatitis C testing service, and launching the UK’s first remote HIV PrEP pathway.

Looking a little further back, in 2023 we were proud to work with the National Association of Primary Care, Imperial College London and Westminster Council to launch a brand new scheme taken from the streets of Brazil.

Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWW), employed by the local GP Practice, had been knocking on doors and making residents of Churchill Gardens aware of vital services such as NHS health checks, cancer screening and other important health information. With a focus on areas with highest levels of deprivation, the results from the first year were significant, with uptake of all services increasing.

At the time, we were proud to take the team from BBC Radio Four’s World At One out for a day with the CHWW team. This meant knocking on doors, and having the privilege to see interactions with residents first-hand.

Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s fantastic to see Wes Streeting speaking in the Daily Telegraph about the CHWW and the potential of this frugal initiative to deliver government policy. We hope that we will see the CHWW featuring prominently within the 10 Year Health Plan, helping to move healthcare into the communities that need it most.

We will explore the future for integrated neighbourhood health teams alongside experts and leaders shaping this new approach as part of our ongoing ‘future of healthcare’ c-suite roundtable series. If you would like to register your interested drop me a line ed.grunill@zpb-associates.com.