People living with cancer often need far more than treatment alone. They need care and support that is safe, fair, joined up and easy to access.
But right now, too many people are left facing a system that is difficult to navigate and treats people differently because of poverty, racism, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexuality, or where they live, which often means they are more likely to miss out on the care and support they need.
At Macmillan, we believe care should fit the person, not just the condition.
What is neighbourhood health
Neighbourhood health is about designing care around people’s real lives. It brings together health services, local organisations and communities to create support that is more connected, personal, and closer to home.
Across the UK, this work is known by different names, including:
- ‘Community by Design’ in Wales
- ‘Neighbourhood Health’ in England
- ‘The Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbeing’ in Northern Ireland
- ‘Improving the Cancer Journey ’ in Scotland
But wherever we work across the UK, our ambition is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: there is a better way.
Why change is needed
Too many people living with cancer are struggling to get the support they need. People are often left managing multiple appointments, repeating their story, and trying to navigate services that do not work well together, all while coping with the impact of cancer.
Cancer affects every part of life, not just physical health. It can affect emotional wellbeing, finances, work, relationships, and day-to-day life. Yet support for these wider challenges is often difficult to find or missing altogether.
For people already facing the greatest barriers, these gaps can be even harder to overcome.
At the same time, health and care services are under growing pressure. As more people live longer with cancer and other long-term conditions, there is a greater need for coordinated support within communities, not just hospitals.
For decades, there has been a shared ambition to bring care closer to home. But progress has been limited. What is needed now is a fundamental shift in how care works.
What neighbourhood health could look like in practice
Neighbourhood health focuses on bringing care and support together around the person, so people can access the right help earlier and closer to home.
By designing services around people who currently face the worst experiences and outcomes, we can build systems that work better for everyone.
With a neighbourhood approach:- Care is better coordinated around their needs
- More support is available closer to home
- Emotional, practical and financial support is available alongside treatment
- Problems are identified earlier to help avoid emergency care
- People are listened to, treated with dignity, and involved in decisions about their care
How Macmillan is helping
This change cannot be delivered by one organisation alone. It requires long-term partnership between health and care systems, communities, and people living with cancer.
Macmillan brings decades of experience in cancer care and support, working alongside the NHS, local organisations and communities to improve support for people living with cancer.
We are committed to helping create care that is more connected, equitable and responsive to people’s lives.
We will:
- Work with health and care systems, communities and people living with cancer to design better support
- Co-design approaches with people facing the greatest barriers to care
- Invest in change while helping local systems build their own capability and capacity
- Share learning and evidence about what works
- Support long-term, sustainable improvements
Building a better system together
Macmillan is investing in better care delivery. Through social investment, we’re helping change how services are funded so more people get the support they need.
Macmillan does whatever it takes to give everyone the best support today and drive a revolution in cancer care. Read about our strategy.
Learn how we’re working with and alongside communities across the UK
Macmillan, Money & More is about putting support where it is needed most , support that is shaped and led by communities themselves.
Macmillan Funding Grants help community groups and professionals across the UK to collaborate and improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
Find out what a neighbourhood health service actually means and why it matters to Macmillan in this long-read article.