As ICBs work to determine where Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) should sit across their areas, common themes are emerging:
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Greater integration of services and providers
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Stronger focus on prevention and person‑centred care
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Multiple organisations delivering from one location
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Digital services supporting care that's closer to patients
To make this work, in both refurbishments and new builds, we recommend a new approach: multi‑functional and flexible space that can be easily reconfigured as technology and society change. Beyond the bricks and mortar, this also means breaking down cultural barriers and creating smarter buildings that use digital tools and Internet of Things (IoT) to drive productivity.
This blog combines insights from four estates experts to outline practical tips for the development of NHCs. Each section links to additional resources for more information.
1) Start with what people need: match demand with the right type of space
Creating successful NHCs should start with a clear understanding of local healthcare needs. Before designing new buildings or repurposing existing ones, it’s essential to map population health trends, changing services and workforce requirements. These insights shape the type, amount and location of space an NHC will need.
Reviewing your current supply against this demand helps identify whether an existing site can be transformed into an NHC, or whether a new build is required. And because needs evolve, this should be an ongoing process, supported by scenario planning to test future service models.
Read more: Andrew Strange, Estate Strategy Lead, shares six simple steps to understand demand, review your estate, and figure out what space you actually need.
Optimising your estate: 6 steps to assess space demand and property supply
2) Build flexibility into NHCs from the start
NHCs will only succeed if they can adapt to changing technologies, new pathways and evolving service models. That means designing spaces that are inherently flexible - multi‑purpose rooms, modular layouts and reconfigurable infrastructure that support a range of functions across the week.
Good healthcare planning ensures rooms meet national standards but aren’t tied to one service. This makes it easier to bring teams together, scale activity up or down, and introduce new services without major redesign. Flexibility isn’t just a benefit, it’s essential to future‑ready NHCs.
Read more: Emma Hau, Healthcare Planner shares practical tips on designing spaces and explains how smart healthcare planning can make buildings easier to adapt as services change.
Designing for change: How Healthcare Planning builds a flexible NHS estate
3) Build the right culture around shared space
Flexible design only works if teams are willing to use space differently. NHCs are built on shared delivery, but cultural barriers like locked rooms, siloed ownership or assumptions about usage can undermine the model before it begins.
Creating a transparent view of space, agreeing shared principles, and reviewing utilisation data together helps challenge old behaviours. When services shift from “our room” to “shared resource,” NHCs could operate more efficiently, respond better to demand and create an integrated experience for patients.
Read more: In this blog, Jake Roe, Head of Estate Strategy, shares more tips on how to make shared rooms work smoothly.
Optimising your estate: How to identify the problem and prioritise your options
4) Use technology to make NHCs smart, responsive and efficient
Future NHCs should be smart buildings. Technology such as NHS Open Space enables Estate Leaders to understand, manage and optimise their estate. It does this through ongoing and timebound utilisation monitoring identifying property and customer patterns to identify opportunities to deliver value, such as helping to shape layout, scheduling and service design for users and patients. This is key when planning how multiple providers will operate in the same space.
NHS Open Space’s booking platform then turns insight into action, enabling Estate Leaders to increase usage and deliver a streamlined, optimised estate. For users of the space delivering services to patients, it provides an intuitive and easy to use system to enable them to see what’s available, book in real time and use rooms more efficiently across a whole building or portfolio. Together, these tools make NHCs more responsive and ensure space is used to its full potential.
Read more: If you want to learn more about how technology and data can help you understand your space better, Christopher King, Head of NHS Open Space, shares his expert advice in this blog.
Setting NHCs up for success
Taking the right approach to NHS space, focusing on real demand, flexible design, shared use, and smart technology will be key to creating Neighbourhood Health Centres that truly work for the communities they serve. Whether transforming existing buildings or planning new ones, these principles help ensure space is used well, supports integrated care, and adapts as services evolve.
Hear more from our experts on how NHCs can be created using existing estate, and the steps we recommend to get there, download our latest report.
Find out more
In our new report, Making Neighbourhood Health Centres a Reality, we take a closer look at how the existing estate can support the delivery of NHCs.
The report includes our key recommendations and practical steps to deliver neighbourhood health services in improved facilities and at pace.
If you’re planning NHCs or transforming your space and want some support, we’re here to help. Get in touch with our team below.
