Evaluation of the Trafford Neighbourhood Programme
What were we trying to do?
The Trafford Neighbourhood programme aimed to improve service integration in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester and develop community-based approaches to the delivery of health and care.
We collaborated with colleagues at Trafford Council in developing and evaluating their Neighbourhood programme which comprises four key components:
- 1.Health in Communities (HIC) - This component supports Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises (VCFSE) organisations working with primary care to enhance access (through primary care services visible in community settings), improve experience and improve outcomes within deprived neighbourhoods.
- 2. Community Hubs - Six Hubs were established during Covid-19 to support to residents through income support, access to food, fuel and other essentials, as well as skills, development training and employment; supporting physical and mental wellbeing; and reducing loneliness and isolation.
- 3. Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) - These are teams made up of staff from health, social, and mental health, and other services collaborating to provide coordinated care for local communities.
- 4. Neighbourhood Networks - These bring together residents, health care, social care, community and VCSFE to adopt a population health management focussed on prevention and service integration.
Why was it important?
There was an urgent need to transform the health and care system, moving to a neighbourhood health service that will deliver more care at home (or closer to home), improve people’s access, experience and outcomes, and make sure health and social care can be delivered in a way that is sustainable over time.
The Labour government commissioned the Darzi report, an independent investigation of the NHS in England, in preparation for the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, which was published in 2025.
The report concluded that the best way to reorganise the system would be to base it around the following 3 pillars:
- Hospital to Community: Shifting care from hospitals to community settings.
- Analogue to Digital: Transitioning from traditional methods to digital solutions.
- Sickness to prevention: Emphasising community-based care to enhance accessibility, prevention, and efficiency.
The NHS England policy, "Neighbourhood Health", aimed to achieve these pillars through better integration of services among Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), local authorities, and health and care providers. This policy was informed by models and innovations highlighted in reports like the Fuller stocktake.
How did we do it?
An initial workshop with Trafford colleagues helped our understanding of their Neighbourhood Programme using a process called ‘logic modelling’.
We then supported several elements of the Trafford Neighbourhood Programme:
- Continuing development of the Logic Models for each of the four components to look at the short, medium and long-term impacts of each programme.
- A Rapid Evidence Synthesis of “What factors influence service integration and delivery by integrated neighbourhood teams?’ was completed and the publication and output can be found in the downloadable resources section below.
- A Return on Investment analysis of the Community Hubs, focussing on what people would have done if they hadn’t accessed the service, and how cost-effective the Community Hubs were. This can be found in the reports section of the downloadable resources below.
- Using Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) methodology to capture the wider impacts of the Community Hubs.
Downloadable Resources
Who did we work with?
More information
Programme Manager
Alison Littlewood
alison.j.littlewood@manchester.ac.uk