National programme lead visits Kendal to see neighbourhood health work in action

Dr Minal Bakhai, director of primary care and community transformation and improvement for NHS England, visited Kendal Leisure Centre on Friday 20 February to learn more about the neighbourhood health work taking place across Morecambe Bay and South Cumbria.

Minal leads the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme and is visiting each pilot site in the programme, of which Morecambe Bay is one of 43 places across England to be part of Wave One. She was particularly keen to learn about the approaches we are taking to neighbourhood health and wellbeing, what has worked well and what could be replicated.

The Wave One programme began in 2025. It aims to scale up more services over time. Neighbourhood health benefits patients by providing end-to-end care and tailored support, looking beyond individual health conditions and instead considering wider factors associated with health and wellbeing. The overall aim is to avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, prevent unnecessary exacerbations, avoid the frustration of being passed around the system, and support people to live as independently as possible in their usual place of residence. 

ICB chief executive Aaron Cummins joined colleagues from across Morecambe Bay Place and Kendal Leisure Centre - who hosted the visit - to welcome Minal and guide her around the site. She saw first-hand some of our community based musculoskeletal (MSK) services in action and spoke with teams involved in a wide range of local projects. These included ArtGene’s creative approaches to addressing health and wellbeing, how our nine Integrated Care Communities were developed, the fantastic outcomes from the Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network and the Integrated Wellness Service, and the extensive work residents and colleagues have been delivering on Healthier Streets, led by Love Barrow Families, to improve the lives of Barrow residents.

Minal also met local residents who shared the impact of these services. Hilary described how MSK sessions at the centre had dramatically improved her back pain. Dean and Penny spoke about how Healthier Streets was shaped by the families who live in Barrow by focusing on community-driven initiatives, and the difference it is now making in their community. 

Her visit highlighted our strong partnership working and the role neighbourhood-based support plays in improving health and wellbeing for local people.