Health and care partners in Andover are working together with the local community to design a neighbourhood health service that brings care closer to home, focuses on prevention and helps people get support earlier.
The work brings together GP Practices and NHS teams from the community and hospitals with local councils and the voluntary sector. Together, they are helping to support people closer to home and placing a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention.
Building on strong foundations
The Andover Health Hub in the Chantry Centre started as a COVID-19 vaccination centre, set up by the NHS and Test Valley Borough Council in 2021. After positive feedback from residents and staff, partners saw an opportunity to create a more permanent health and wellbeing space in the heart of the town.
Since opening in January 2023, Andover Health Hub has offered services including NHS Health Checks, blood pressure checks, vaccinations, physiotherapy appointments, pharmacy appointments, prostate cancer screening and mental health support.
The hub has also helped make care more accessible. Since January 2023, Andover Primary Care Network has delivered more than 14,000 appointments from the site, helping people get support earlier and reducing pressure on local GP practices.
Dr Kate Elliott, Andover GP and Clinical Director at Andover Primary Care Network, added:
"We’ve seen a steady improvement over the past couple of years in both the number of appointments we’re able to offer and how easy care is to access for local people.
“By offering more appointments in an accessible, town-centre location, the hub has alleviated pressure on GP services, helping to increase capacity across all five of Andover’s practices.
“We also now have an extended team of specialists, from practice nurses to mental health practitioners, physio therapists, social prescribers and others working alongside GPs. They have helped us to increase both the number of appointments we’re able to offer and get people to the right specialist more quickly, while freeing up GP time to focus on patients with more complex needs."
Focusing on prevention
The neighbourhood partnership in Andover is continuing to build on the progress made with the hub and the expansion of primary care services locally. The NHS is working closely with partners at the council and the voluntary sector to plan more proactive support for people who are frail or living with long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease. They are also strengthening the help available on important lifestyle factors that can mean people live in poor health, like physical inactivity and social isolation.
Liz Murray, Head of Active Ageing at Valley Leisure, said:
"The mission of our charity is to help people move more and feel better. By working alongside the NHS and the local council we’re able to ensure the voluntary sector has a strong voice as neighbourhood health services develop.
"This is how we can ensure we not only treat sickness but prevent ill health in the first place.
"Supporting people to move more, across their whole lives but especially as they get older, will be vital to improving health outcomes for the people of Andover."
Creating an effective neighbourhood health service also means listening to communities and co-designing services with them. There is not a “one-size-fits-all” model for neighbourhood health, and local approaches will be shaped with communities based on their needs and strengths.
Imogen Collie, Community Engagement Manager at Test Valley Borough Council, explains:
"One of the things that makes the work we’re doing here in Andover so exciting is that we’re looking at the whole picture of what makes up a person’s health and getting all the relevant partners round the table. Our regular engagement with people in Andover is ensuring their experiences inform our programme, helps us to identify gaps and to build on what’s working well."
Looking ahead – a guiding light for neighbourhood health across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
The work in Andover is still developing, but the ambition is clear. Partners are creating a neighbourhood health service that is shaped by local people, supports the most vulnerable residents, reduces pressure on hospitals and GP practices, and helps more people stay well in their own communities. As plans develop, local teams will continue working with residents, community groups and partner organisations to understand what matters most and how services can be designed around real lives.
James Roach, Director of Neighbourhood Health at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said:
“Neighbourhood health is a huge opportunity for us to build on the work already taking place to improve people’s access to care and support for our most vulnerable patients more effectively. As demand for health and care services continues to grow, it is now vital that we work collaboratively and bring care closer to home.
“The great work in Andover can act as a guiding light for teams across our area who have the same commitment to improving the health of their local neighbourhoods. There is much work still to do, but it’s encouraging to see the green shoots of a truly preventative and proactive neighbourhood health service across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
Pictured: Dr Claire Fuller, National Priority Programme Director for Neighbourhood Health tours Andover Health Hub with Dr Kate Elliott, GP and Clinical Director of Andover Primary Care Network
Pictured: partners from across NHS, local authority and voluntary sector at the Andover Health Hub
Video about the Andover health hub: Community to benefit from expanded Andover Health Hub facilities
Further links to neighbourhood working examples:
‘Integrated neighbourhood hubs’ put prevention centre stage and support active ageing in Southampton
