Last month, our CEO, William Bird, chaired a session at NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester.
‘The nature pill’ focused on what healthcare professionals can do to lower their patients’ blood pressure, quieten anxiety, improve mental and metabolic health, deepen sleep, enhance cellular and DNA repair and even improve eyesight.
You can find out more about the session on William’s LinkedIn page.
The neighbourhood health approach
At the same event, Sir John Oldham spoke as part of a panel about neighbourhood health and how it can improve outcomes and reduce costs across the NHS – and healthcare as a whole.
Sir John has recently been appointed to the Department of Health and Social Care as Strategic Adviser to the Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, to transform the health and care system.
As he explained, too many service users still end up in the most inappropriate place for treatment – in accident and emergency.
To prevent this, Sir John is focusing on people-powered health with the aim to develop a neighbourhood health service that reduces a fragmented and siloed approach to healthcare.
People-powered health
Sir John states that, to undertake this effectively, it will require mobilisation on the same level as the upscaling in healthcare provision during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neighbourhood health not only provides diagnostic and treatment close to where people live, but also empowers neighbourhoods and communities to be central to the solution of creating and maintaining their own health.
The government’s neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/26 outline that we need to move to a neighbourhood health service that will deliver more care at home or closer to home, improve people’s access, experience and outcomes, and ensure the sustainability of health and social care delivery.
New ways of working
Intelligent Health is on board with this approach, as it is in line with our dedication to activate health and engaged communities.
We are fully receptive to these new ways of working on both a system and a local level.
The transition from a national to a neighbourhood health service, with the NHS and social care working effectively together, helps in our aim to build active communities, create resilience and improve health.
Mobilisation on the same level as the COVID-19 pandemic
More local services will help connect people to each other, their communities and their environment – conditions that we aim to develop with Beat the Street, Roots Health Academy and PACC.
Find out more
NHS ConfedExpo is a leading UK health and care conference, dedicated to driving innovation and improving care for patients and the public.
Sian Stanley, GP Clinical Director and Stephanie Cartwright, Chief Community and Partnerships Officer, were also on the panel which was led by Victoria Macdonald, Health and Social Care Editor
You can watch the talk here or find out more about the government’s Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/26
William chaired the session ‘‘The nature pill’ at NHS ConfedExpo
