Helpforce and PPL join forces to transform neighbourhood health

Neighbourhood health is gathering pace across England – and volunteering is integral to success.

As systems embrace the NHS 10-Year Health Plan's direction, the challenge is clear: how do we translate that ambition into practical, delivery-ready models at neighbourhood level?

A New Alliance for Action

We're thrilled to announce that Helpforce has joined forces with PPL, the UK's leading social enterprise management consultancy, to spearhead a collaborative alliance that will transform neighbourhood health from aspiration into operational reality.

This partnership brings together our proven volunteering models and delivery capability with PPL's expertise in system design, commissioning and convening. Together, we bridge the gap between policy ambition and real-world implementation.

Why This Matters

Volunteering sits at the intersection of health and community. Volunteers can support timely hospital discharge, reduce isolation, improve system flow, and help people stay healthy at home. We've worked alongside over 100 NHS trusts and integrated care systems, building an evidence base of more than 500 documented outcomes.

The challenge now is scale. Systems need practical, delivery-ready models that can be adapted locally and commissioned sustainably.

From Ambition to Action

Through our alliance, we will develop commissionable models of volunteering mobilisation and VCSE integration, support faster adoption of proven approaches, and share learning openly with clear metrics and evidence.

This is not about short-term pilots. We're designing models that can operate within the realities of integrated care board budgets and local commissioning frameworks.

Neighbourhood health will only succeed if it is built together. This partnership is our commitment to making that happen.

Read the full article on Linkedin to discover why this alliance matters, what success will look like, and how we're learning from models that already work.