Community Network

The Community Network is the national voice of NHS community providers.

Hosted by the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, we support trusts and not-for-profit organisations providing NHS community health services to deliver high-quality care by influencing national policy, sharing good practice and promoting a vision of integrated care in the community.

Our vision is to be an effective network for all trusts and not-for-profit organisations providing NHS community health services, championing, supporting and influencing their role in the health and care system.

What is the Community Network?

The Community Network aims to:

Represent the views of providers of NHS community services to decision-makers, stakeholders and the media, giving national voice to their concerns
Shape the national policy debate to raise the profile of the pivotal role community services play in delivering high quality, integrated care, now and in the future particularly as system working develops
Ensure the full range of trusts and not-for-profit organisations providing NHS community health services feel they equally own and are part of the Network and national debate on community, primary and social care
Support members to develop solutions by sharing ideas, insights and best practice with a particular focus on high quality, integrated care for patients and service users.

Who is the Community Network for?

NHS community trusts,
NHS acute trusts offering community services,
NHS mental health trusts offering community services, and
Community interest companies and Social Enterprises offering community services.

We develop products to support our members and influence on their behalf, as well as hosting three network events a year where members can come together, hear from senior leaders at national bodies, and share their own learning.

The network's board oversees our work. Our current chair is Siobhan Melia, chief executive of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

To view upcoming dates for the Community Network visit our courses and events section of the website. For information on becoming a member, or to find out more about the network, please contact sara.gariban@nhsproviders.org.

Featured

A message from the chair

Siobhan Melia shares her priorities as Community Network chair.

What are community health services?

The Community Network has published an infographic that gives a short summary on what community health services are.

Case studies

Examples from across the country highlighting the innovative work happening across the community sector.

Celebrating Community Services

This campaign shines a light on the role, breadth and importance of community health services, with useful videos, resources and links.

Key resources

People first

This briefing from the Community Network explores what community health providers are doing to recruit and keep the staff they need.

Supporting people living with frailty

This briefing highlights the benefits of supporting people with frailty in the community at every stage of the frailty care pathway.

Boosting referrals into urgent community response services

This briefing highlights the benefits boosting referrals into urgent community response services has on patients this winter and beyond.

Delivering more joined-up care for local communities

This briefing explores how community providers are working with local primary care partners to deliver more joined-up care for local communities.

Community Network survey on waiting times in children and young people's services

The Community Network highlights concerns about long waits for children and young people's services.

Submission to the House of Lords integration of primary and community care committee

In April 2023, the Community Network submitted written evidence to the House of Lords inquiry into the integration of primary and community care.

Infographic on what community services are

This infographic provides a short summary on what community health services are.

Making the most of urgent community response services

This briefing show how urgent community response services can play a key role in addressing winter pressures and supporting urgent and emergency care pathways.

Neighbourhood integration project

An in-depth look at how more joined-up care has been delivered in four localities.

The staffing challenges facing community health services and how we can address them

This briefing reveals the problems and solutions to workforce shortages in community healthcare.

Recent blogs

Behind every statistic are consequences for children and young people

Richard Kirby, Community Network vice chair, discusses the impact of long waits for community services on children and young people's health.

New focus, old problem: tackling delayed discharges this winter and beyond

Siobhan Melia, considers what needs to be done to make delayed discharges a thing of the past.

Transforming community healthcare through data

Alex Thompson, assistant director at NHS England Community Health Services, discusses the work going on to improve NHS community services data.

Urgent focus needed on backlogs in children and young people's services

Miriam Deakin and Daniel Reynolds discuss the urgent need for a plan to tackle backlogs of care in children and young people's services.

Sustainable care requires sustainable funding

Miriam Deakin responds to a new report by County Councils Network, 'Finding a way home'.

Urgent funding needed for more 'at home' care

Miriam Deakin responds to a Homecare Association report highlighting serious underfunding of 'at home' social care.

NAO report underlines urgent need for social care reform

Sir Julian Hartley responds to a National Audit Office (NAO) report on reforming adult social care in England.

Response to funding for one-off payments for vital service providers

Miriam Deakin responds to a government announcement of funding for one-off payments for eligible non-NHS organisations under the NHS pay deal.