NHS England has set out a fresh emphasis on neighbourhood health and integrated care as part of its March/April 2026 strategic update for health and care leaders, while also acknowledging the continuing strain on hospitals dealing with corridor care and industrial action by resident doctors.
In the update published on 7 April and last updated on 8 April 2026, NHS England said the service is nearing delivery of its key operational imperatives on referral to treatment and urgent and emergency care, after a year shaped by winter pressures and industrial action. The document also pointed to the publication of the Neighbourhood Health Framework and Fit for the future: towards population health delivery models as important steps in making local ambition on neighbourhood health a reality.
Integrated care and neighbourhood services move up the agenda
The update says integrated care boards will play a crucial role in the next phase of reform, with NHS England describing the Strategic Commissioning Development Programme as well developed. It adds that regional teams will continue working with systems to refine plans for 2026/27 and the two years that follow, while a new IRP will support colleagues facing the most stubborn long-standing challenges.
Sir James Mackey, NHS England chief executive, said there was encouraging progress across the year and thanked staff for their efforts, but warned that the resident doctors’ industrial action was disruptive and difficult for hospitals to manage. He said the action had been deliberately timed to cause havoc, underscoring the pressure felt across the service.
Corridor care remains a live concern
Alongside the wider reform agenda, NHS England said it had brought together leaders from 30 trusts identified as facing the biggest challenges on corridor care. The discussions focused on what more can be done to tackle the issue, with the update highlighting the importance of visible leadership and pointing to examples of improvement from teams at West Hertfordshire and Shrewsbury and Telford.
The message from NHS England is that reform, neighbourhood services and operational recovery will need to advance together. While the service is close to meeting its immediate performance goals, the update makes clear that the next phase will depend on sustained cooperation between national leaders, integrated care systems and local providers.
For health and care teams, the priorities are now increasingly clear: protect urgent services, strengthen community-based care and build more resilient local models that can reduce pressure on hospitals over time. The latest update suggests NHS England sees neighbourhood health and integrated care as central to achieving that shift.
Source document: NHS England March/April 2026 update.
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