Sir John Oldham’s decision to step down as senior adviser to the health and social care secretary comes at a delicate moment for the government’s neighbourhood health agenda. Having helped launch the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP), his departure raises doubts about how firmly this cornerstone of NHS reform will now be driven forward.
Appointed in December and officially announced in March, Sir John brought decades of experience leading large-scale change programmes across government. His guidance helped shape the early vision for neighbourhood health: a model that seeks to shift care closer to home, integrate local services, and empower communities to take ownership of health outcomes.
In his internal message, Sir John described the NNHIP as a mechanism to “empower” local systems already doing the heavy lifting. But as he exits for personal reasons, the question is whether that momentum can survive the churn of leadership.
Minal Bakhai, NHS England’s director of primary care transformation, will now lead the programme. She inherits both an opportunity and a challenge: to turn an ambitious concept into practical delivery amid competing national priorities.
Neighbourhood health is meant to be the connective tissue of the NHS’s new operating model; linking prevention, community services, and digital access. Yet without clear political focus or sustained funding, it risks becoming another reform stranded between policy intent and frontline reality.
Sir John’s departure is a reminder that leadership continuity matters. The ambition for stronger neighbourhood health remains, but its future now depends on whether the system can move from pilot enthusiasm to long-term, systemwide delivery.
