Let’s talk Neighbourhood health.
Help shape the future of health and care in Devon
The Let’s talk Neighbourhood health communications and engagement programme is now live!
This programme will help shape the future of health and care services across Devon.
Building on what we heard through the Devon 10 Year Plan engagement, the programme starts with listening to staff, patients and local communities to understand their experiences and views on how health and care services can work better together.
The national vision for neighbourhood health, set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England and national Neighbourhood health framework, is to bring together GPs, community services, mental health, social care, voluntary organisations and local partners to provide more joined-up support in local communities. This aims to help people stay healthier for longer, access more care closer to home, reduce the need for hospital treatment where appropriate, and ensure services are shaped around the needs of local communities.
Residents and health and care staff can take part by completing a survey, going along to an event, or joining a local feedback group or the new Devon People Panel, among other opportunities, to make sure their voice, previous experiences and opinions are heard.
There are various ways to get involved, and however you choose to take part, your feedback will help NHS Devon understand what matters most to people and communities across the county.
Why your voice is important
Your voice matters because the best way to improve health and care is to listen to the people who use, need and support services every day. You understand better than anyone what works well and where we need to do things differently.
Everyone will have unique experiences to share, and individual views of what Neighbourhood health could look like in the future.
By sharing your experiences and ideas, you can help NHS Devon understand what works well, what needs to change, and what would make care feel more joined up, accessible and closer to home. Please take part and help us shape future plans around what matters most to people and communities in Devon.
NHS Devon wants to develop neighbourhood health services that make it easier for people to get the right support earlier, closer to home and in a more joined-up way. This means shaping care around local communities, with GPs, community services, mental health, social care, voluntary organisations and other local partners working more closely together.
This new neighbourhood health conversation forms part of the One Plan for Devon. It builds on previous NHS engagement which heard from thousands of Devon people on what matters to them when it comes to health and care.
How to get involved
Your unique experiences in interacting with Devon’s health and care services can help NHS Devon understand what matters to you and how services need to improve.
Your unique experience of interacting with health and care in Devon gives us important insight into what is working, what isn’t working, and what matters to you. These insights will help NHS Devon to design health and care services that better serve the needs of the population.
NHS Devon is also moving beyond listening to creating lasting partnerships with local people, by working with residents to ensure the future of health and care is shaped by the people who know their communities best, through the Devon People Panel and Lived Experience Groups.
You can get involved by:
- Completing the Neighbourhood health survey (closes 2 October 2026)
- Joining the Lived Experience Group
- Joining the Devon People Panel
Local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are supporting the programme through neighbourhood health events and a new small grants scheme, enabling trusted local groups to engage communities whose voices are less often heard. This will ensure a diverse range of experiences helps shape the future of health and care services in Devon.
Voluntary and community organisations are often the first and most trusted point of contact for people who are less often heard through broader engagement programmes.
- Join the Community Marketplace at an Engagement Day Priority will be given to VSCE and community organisations that offer health, care and wellbeing services. There is limited space available so exhibitor space will be granted based on the services they provide, to meet the health, care and wellbeing needs of the local population.
- Complete and share the Neighbourhood health survey (closes 2 October 2026)
- Facilitate a group conversation using the Workshop in a Box – details to follow.
- Complete and share the Neighbourhood health survey (closes 2 October 2026)
- Attend a local Neighbourhood health engagement workshop – specifically for health and care staff
- Attend and support the local engagement days in your area
- Join the system wide webinar for health and care staff in early September – details to follow
Complete our Neighbourhood health survey
The 15 minute Neighbourhood Health Survey, is open until 2 October 2026. The survey asks people about their experiences of health and care services, what matters most to them, and how care could be delivered differently in the future.
Responses are anonymous, although people can choose to provide optional demographic information to help the NHS understand how well it has reached different communities.
Anyone who is unable to complete the survey online can call Healthwatch on 0800 520 0640, to complete it over the phone.
The Neighbourhood health engagement days
The Neighbourhood health engagement days are hosted by NHS Devon in collaboration with Healthwatch Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. They will take place throughout September and October, with one event taking place in Exeter, Barnstaple, Tavistock, Paignton and Plymouth.
- Friday 11 September – Plymouth Leadworks
- Wednesday 23 September – Tavistock Town Hall
- Friday 25 September – Paignton Library
- Monday 28 September – Exeter Community Centre
- Monday 19 October – Roundswell Community Centre, Barnstaple
To book your place, click here.
Join the long-term conditions, lived experience group
The lived experience group is an opportunity to take part in group conversations, supported by a “workshop in a box” for organisations and community groups. It brings together people with experience of long-term conditions including diabetes, heart and lung conditions to help shape future services.
The Devon People Panel
The Devon People Panel is an opportunity for individuals to share their unique perspectives on interacting with health and care services to help design services which are more person-centred, reduce inequalities and deliver better outcomes.
Sign-up for official health and care updates from NHS Devon
You can sign up for official updates, to receive the latest information and receive invites to engagement opportunities.
One Plan for Devon
This work forms part of delivering our One Plan for Devon, which sets out the overall direction for how health and care services in Devon will need to evolve over the next five years to meet growing demand, workforce pressures, and the needs of an ageing population. It focusses on:
- Improving access to care
- Delivering more services closer to home
- Reducing waiting times
- Improving outcomes for local people
