Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs)

Integrated Neighbourhood Teams will play a central role in improving health outcomes, focusing on prevention, shifting care towards primary and community services, and reducing health inequalities.

There is growing consensus on what and who these teams should include. At their core, they will bring together professionals who regularly interact with the local population and with each other. These teams typically include:

• General practice (GP) staff and other primary care workers
• Community nurses, health visitors, and allied health professionals (AHPs)
• Mental health workers
• Social care and home care staff
• Children’s services staff
• Community pharmacists, dentists, and optometrists
• Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations
• Other relevant local agencies

This is often described as a “team of teams” approach. A key goal is to simplify how people access care by reducing the number of different entry points and replacing complicated referral systems with faster communication and more collaborative, team-based care. In some cases, this could mean combining administrative teams and having one clear point of contact for coordination.

These teams will also be able to access specialist support when needed, particularly for services that are better managed across a wider area—such as palliative care, housing support, musculoskeletal (MSK) services, dietetics or hospital-based care.