NHS England Leaders Visit Leeds to see Neighbourhood Health in Action
October 7, 2026
Some of the NHS's most senior national leaders visited Leeds today to see first-hand how local organisations are working together to deliver neighbourhood health services for children, young people and families.
The visit brought together Dr Penny Dash, Chair of NHS England, Ravi Gurumurthy, Non-Executive Director of NHS England, and Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, who met colleagues from across health, local authority and community services during a tour of the centre.
Hosted by senior leaders across Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Primary Care, the Leeds GP Confederation, the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Local Care Partnerships and Leeds City Council, the visit showcased the Reginald Centre as an example of neighbourhood health in practice. The visit showcased how health, local authority and community partners work together to improve access to services and support for the people of Chapeltown, and how city-wide services based at the centre help children, young people and families.
NHS England colleagues toured the centre, explored examples of integrated and co-located services, and took part in discussions about how successful neighbourhood approaches could be developed and scaled. The discussion involving leaders from across the Leeds Health & Care Partnership, focusing on how Leeds and NHS England could work together to create environments for better integrated ways of working for service users.
They also observed a range of children's services in action, including 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Services, Children's Speech and Language Therapy, Community Dental Services, Children's and Young People's Mental Health Services, and specialist clinics supporting children with additional needs.
Sam Prince, Executive Director of Operations at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome NHS England colleagues to Leeds and showcase the strength of partnership working across our city. The Reginald Centre demonstrates what can be achieved when organisations come together around the needs of local populations. It was a valuable opportunity to share our learning as neighbourhood health continues to develop nationally.”
Nicola Nicholson, Associate Director for Strategy and Programmes at the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “It was fantastic to welcome colleagues from the NHS England Board to the Reginald Centre and share how Team Leeds is broadening our approach to neighbourhood health. Working together as one Team Leeds, we recognise the significant impact wider determinants have on people's wellbeing and are including in our model housing, welfare and debt advice etc. Our ambition is to create a truly joined-up system that wraps around the whole person, supporting individuals, families and communities with the right help at the right time, rather than responding only to individual health needs.”
Dr Melissa Tasou, Partner Allerton and Westfield Medical Centre, Clinical Director of Chapeltown PCN, Co-Medical Director General Practice Provider Collaborative, Co-Chair Leeds Local Medical Committee, commented: “It was a fabulous opportunity to showcase the passion and community spirit of Chapeltown. The Reginald Centre was built in 2010 and is a great example of the breadth of services that have evolved over the last 15 years around the needs of local people.
“The Centre brings together council services, including the Family Hub, Housing, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobshop, with GP practices in the Chapeltown Primary Care Network and our well-established Local Care Partnership, HATCH, which co-ordinates more than 250 voluntary, community, social enterprise and statutory organisations. Together, they wrap care and support around patients, helping to tackle health inequalities, address the wider determinants of health and support people to navigate their care."
The Reginald Centre brings together a range of services supporting the community, children, young people and families under one roof, helping professionals work more closely together and providing more joined-up support for local families. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase this approach to senior NHS England leaders and share learning from one of Leeds' established neighbourhood health hubs.
The visit demonstrated how Leeds partners are already delivering many of the principles that underpin neighbourhood health, providing a practical example of how services can work together to improve outcomes for the community, children, young people while making care more accessible for families.
