Why housing must be central to ICB commissioning strategies

The NHS 10-Year Plan rightly focuses on prevention, reducing health inequalities and delivering care closer to home. With our deep community roots and wealth of experience in delivering support services, housing providers are uniquely positioned to help meet these goals.

Now we have an opportunity to formalise this collaboration between health and housing to improve outcomes for customers and patients.

Part of its success relies on a recognition that good housing is more than bricks and mortar; that it is a foundation for good health.

From reducing hospital admissions to supporting hospital discharge and preventing homelessness, housing plays a pivotal role in the health and care ecosystem. Stable, safe homes contribute to better mental and physical health, and housing-related support services help manage long-term conditions, maintain independence and avoid crises.

All of that is to say, good housing aligns directly with the NHS’ ambitions to reduce demand on acute services and invest in sustainability. When we recognise housing as a key health determinant, we can create communities where health inequalities are actively addressed rather than exacerbated.

Poor quality or insecure housing is one of the drivers of inequality; partnering early and often with housing professionals is essential to designing more inclusive, equitable services.

True collaboration starts with inclusion. If we want housing to contribute effectively, its leaders must have a seat at the table when we shape strategy. Supported housing providers are steered by the properties they develop and the services they introduce, and community housing experts have a wealth of insight which can help ICBs make better-informed decisions around the types of services both the community needs and which are deliverable by providers.

Their inclusion in key decision making forums, from local partnerships to advisory groups and place-based boards, should be seen as a core part of planning and delivery, rather than an afterthought.

ICBs are currently navigating a period of transition and uncertainty. While this period of restructuring poses risks to continuity and focus, it can also create a timely opportunity to reimagine partnerships.

Housing providers have decades of experience working across funding streams, adapting to changing landscapes, and solving complex local problems. Bringing that expertise into ICB conversations can offer much-valued support, while allowing housing professionals to draw in their own insights around designing cost-effective, person-centred solutions within the community – just as the NHS 10-Year Plan calls openly for.

One of the strengths of the housing sector, and particularly a provider like Home Group, is the commitment to community engagement and co-production. Bringing housing providers to the table doesn’t just bring subject matter experts, it also brings in a raft of customer knowledge and lived experience that sits behind that, gathered from tenants and service users.

For example, in Home Group, we make a conscious effort not only to listen to customers to understand their needs and experiences with our services, but to co-design the way these services will work directly with them.

It reflects our recognition of what an invaluable asset lived experience is, both in designing the right services for local community need and in generating that sense of local buy-in which sees those services become successful.

Fostering this community agency, a key principle in empowering healthier, more resilient neighbourhoods is a skill across both health and housing.

So, how do we better involve people in this co-designing process? Collaboration between ICBs and housing providers allows for joint insight on new models of co-production, the ability to share best practice and crucially the ability to invest in local capacity to support community engagement at scale.

But it is not just about the designing of a service where housing’s merits shine through. It is no secret the health and care system is continuously grappling with a trifecta of rising demand, workforce shortages and tighter budgets.

Housing can play a role in the solution. Preventative models, such as supported housing, tenancy sustainment, and step-down accommodation can reduce hospital stays, prevent readmissions, and ease pressure on overstretched services.

These models provide consistency and stability, helping individuals and communities weather periods of systemic change.
If we are to build the truly integrated future of healthcare, as the NHS 10-Year Plan calls for, then we need to not think siloed into our sectors: in health, in housing. Instead, we must think about one connected, collaborative place-based partnerships.

This means bringing organisations around the table like housing associations, local authority housing leads, and community-based organisations. We need to build formal relationships, establish shared outcomes, and invest in long-term cross-sector strategies.

All of this recognised the fact that, very rarely, is a person’s health linked to just one factor in their life.

The vision of the NHS 10-Year Plan is to create a health and care system fit for the future, but that can only be realised if we build it together. Housing is not just a backdrop to health but a driver of it.

Together, through collaboration, shared purpose and community-led approaches we can build healthier places and lives for all.