Pioneering Liverpool neighbourhood health model keeping people out of hospital wins national NHS Excellence Award
Thursday, 18 June 2026
A Liverpool initiative has been named the national winner of the Neighbourhood Health Award at the NHS Excellence Awards 2026, recognising its pioneering work to deliver proactive, community-based care that helps people stay well and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
The award, presented at this year’s NHS ConfedExpo, recognises the Liverpool Place Population Management model, an approach that uses linked health and care data to identify people most at risk of deteriorating health and provide coordinated support before they reach crisis point.
Judges praised Liverpool’s “mature, system-wide model” and highlighted its innovative use of population health management to bring together services and target people most in need of support. They described the programme as a “working, city-scale example” of the neighbourhood health model set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.
The initiative brings together organisations and teams from across Liverpool, including NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, GP practices, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, Prima Housing Group, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Fusion21 Foundation and University of Liverpool’s Civic Health Innovation Labs.
Using data from the Cheshire and Merseyside Care Record and the CIPHA Population Health Intelligence Platform, neighbourhood teams can identify residents who may benefit from additional support and proactively engage them in care.
An example of the programme’s impact has been the expansion of Liverpool’s telehealth service. By using population health management techniques to identify suitable patients proactively, the service increased its caseload from around 250 patients to more than 2,000 in a single year, with around 70 per cent of patients identified through enhanced case finding rather than traditional referral routes.
Independent evaluation showed significant benefits for patients enrolled in the service while reducing pressure on NHS services, as demonstrated by a 28 per cent reduction in A&E attendances, a 36 per cent reduction in emergency hospital admissions and a 34 per cent reduction in GP encounters.
What began as a single proactive care initiative has evolved into a comprehensive neighbourhood health model spanning multiple services and pathways. Alongside telehealth, proactive care is now embedded across respiratory, diabetes and renal pathways, frailty services and integrated care teams – successfully shifting from reactive care towards prevention at scale.
Dr Janet Bliss, a Liverpool GP who attended the ceremony and received the award on behalf of Liverpool Place, said:
“This is a huge achievement and reflects the scale and ambition of what we’ve built alongside our local partners, as well as our shared commitment to providing people with the highest standards of care.
“This award recognises the dedication of colleagues across the system, and demonstrates what can be achieved when organisations come together around a shared vision of proactive, person-centred care.”
Liz Bishop, Chief Executive of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said:
“This award is national recognition of years of collaborative work across Liverpool to transform the way care is delivered. Rather than waiting for people to become unwell, teams are using data, clinical insight and partnership working to identify those most at risk and provide support earlier.
“The Liverpool Place Population Management model demonstrates how neighbourhood health can work in practice. By bringing together primary care, community services, hospitals, mental health, social care and wider partners around the needs of local people, we are improving outcomes, reducing health inequalities and helping more people stay well for longer.”
Louise Shepherd, Regional Director for NHS England in the North West, said:
“A massive congratulations to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB for an outstanding win in the Neighbourhood Health category at the first-ever NHS Excellence Awards.
“The Liverpool Place Population Management approach is a real-world example of the opportunities for neighbourhood health as set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and shows just how, when primary, community, acute and specialist care services work together, you can put prevention at the heart of the agenda.
“Well done to the whole team, who have created a model of proactive, joined-up care which is improving health, independence and quality of life for patients and communities across Liverpool.”
The NHS Excellence Awards are run by, and for, the NHS, celebrating local projects and teams making a real difference to patients and communities. The awards recognise innovation, collaboration and excellence in delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan while inspiring organisations across the country to adopt successful approaches in their own areas.
The full list of winners can be viewed on the NHS ConfedExpo website.