Coventry gets £3 million for eight neighbourhood health projects, including children's same-day breathing hubs and five new care roles. Updated November 2026.

Coventry’s neighbourhood health programme has £3 million to spend on eight projects that aim to keep people out of hospital. They include same-day hubs for children with breathing illnesses and five new community clinical roles.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) announced the money on 6 November. It comes from the Neighbourhood Health Investment Fund. The trust says it will pay for a shift away from reactive, hospital-based care towards care that is preventative and delivered nearer people’s homes.

The money is for Coventry, about ten miles north of Leamington. The release does not mention Warwick district. It matters here because the same trusts run services for both places, and because Coventry is a test bed: it is one of 43 frontrunner programmes chosen across the country in the first phase to help deliver care closer to home.

What the £3 million pays for

The trust lists these among the eight programmes:

  • five proactive care leads: new clinical roles based in the community, working with the patients who have the greatest health needs so they can avoid a hospital admission, or have a shorter stay when one is needed
  • a GP clinical lead in the Coventry Coordination Hub: a senior clinician in the hub five days a week, helping decide where patients should be treated. The trust expects fewer ambulance trips to hospital and fewer emergency admissions as a result
  • a same-day assessment hub for children with acute respiratory illness: meant to cut attendances at the children’s emergency department and give parents more confidence
  • support for carers of older people living with poor mental health: to prevent carer breakdown and help people stay at home
  • one neighbourhood partnership of voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise groups: working alongside the NHS, GP networks and the new neighbourhood teams

The release names five of the eight. It does not say how the £3 million is split between them.

Teams already working in two parts of the city

The programme brings together hospitals, community and mental health services, GPs, the council and the voluntary sector.

Two Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are already running, in the South West and South of Coventry. The trust says it plans to extend them to the whole city later this year.

The trust says the aim is fewer hospital trips that are not needed, “freeing up appointments and beds for those that need them the most.”

What the people running it say

Professor Andy Hardy, chief executive of UHCW, said: “This investment allows us to jointly deliver better outcomes for the people using health and care services across Coventry.

“The fund will be used to build on the excellent work already underway to deliver neighbourhood health across Coventry to provide support earlier and provide personalised care to improve a person’s health and wellbeing.

“By bringing organisations together around the needs of our local communities, we can provide more joined-up care that helps people stay healthier for longer, receive more care closer to home and access support when they need it.”

Dr Gavin Shields, a GP and chair of the Coventry and Rugby Alliance, gave more detail on the children’s service. He spoke of three hubs, where the trust’s list describes one.

“For our patients with complex needs, INTs are a fantastic opportunity to ensure that their care is more connected and provided locally,” he said. “By working together in Neighbourhood teams, we can also identify people who would benefit from earlier support, helping them stay well and reducing their need for hospital care wherever possible.

“As part of neighbourhood health, we will be opening three new GP-led acute paediatric respiratory hubs across Coventry. By providing additional capacity in our system, to see children with acute respiratory symptoms and illness the same day, more locally, the hubs will relieve pressure on hospital EDs, as well as GP practices, reduce the time for assessment and give increased confidence to parents.”

Carers of people with dementia

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) is a partner in the carers project.

Viral Kantaria, its chief transformation officer, said: “Carers are often overlooked and the crucial support they provide is often taken for granted, but they are a lifeline for individuals with a range of different conditions, including older adults living with dementia.

“Our specific investment in carers will allow our third sector partners to equip more carers of people living with dementia with skills and confidence to support their loved ones to stay as well as possible.”

Karen Winchcombe, chief executive of Solihull and Warwickshire CAVA, which supports voluntary groups, said: “Community organisations have a vital role in supporting people to stay healthier for longer and live more independent lives.

“By strengthening partnerships with voluntary organisations, the health and care system can provide people with practical help, preventative interventions, and community-based support that improve outcomes and promote long-term wellbeing.”

What it means for you

  • If you live in Coventry: the new teams and hubs are for you, and the neighbourhood teams are due to cover the whole city later this year, the trust says.
  • If you live in Leamington, Warwick or Kenilworth: nothing changes yet. The release covers Coventry only and does not say when, or whether, the same model will reach Warwick district.
  • If you are a carer: the dementia carers support will be delivered through voluntary groups working with CWPT. The release does not yet say how to get it.

The trust’s announcement is on its website. More on the programme is on the Coventry Neighbourhood Health pages, which say updates will be posted on local NHS and council websites.