NHS Sends Health Workers Door to Door – And It’s Actually Working

In a quiet but bold move, the NHS is rolling out a new kind of health worker to knock on doors across some of England’s most deprived areas – and it’s not just for a friendly chat. The idea is to catch health issues before they spiral into emergencies, in the hopes of easing the massive strain on GPs and A&E.

They’re called community health and wellbeing workers (CHWWs), and they’ve already started making rounds in 12 parts of the country, with another 13 soon to follow. These workers don’t come with stethoscopes or white coats – they’re not doctors or nurses – but they’re trained to help residents tackle a wide mix of challenges, from health concerns to housing and money troubles, reported the Independent.

Each worker looks after 120 to 150 households, usually within council estates, and drops in monthly. The goal? To make it easier for people, especially the vulnerable, to get support before things go wrong.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has his eye on the programme as he gathers ideas for the NHS’s upcoming 10-year health plan. The initiative fits neatly into two of his big promises: to shift care out of hospitals and into communities and to pivot the NHS from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.

And here’s the thing – it’s actually working. According to the National Association of Primary Care, people who are visited by CHWWs are turning up at A&E 10% less often and making 7.3% fewer unplanned GP visits. Those aren’t just stats – they’re signs of genuine change.

Take Westminster, where the scheme first launched in 2021. People supported by CHWWs are 82% more likely to show up for cancer screenings, 47% more likely to get their jabs, and also 82% more likely to get their NHS health checks done.

In Cornwall, where the program kicked off in 2023, the early results are just as promising. It’s helped cut demand for mental health services, fewer people need urgent care visits, and even the district nurse workload has eased up.

The workers themselves are often local folks from the community, trained to support their neighbours. In Cornwall, 60 of them are now employed by a charity called Volunteer Cornwall. In other regions, GP practices are hiring them directly.

Marcus McAlister from the NAPC explained that people are getting help for things like infections, diabetes flare-ups, and mental health struggles before they reach crisis point. By tackling things like isolation, finances, and even mouldy housing, CHWWs are helping to solve the deeper issues that lead people to A&E.

Streeting summed it up nicely: when care is in the right place at the right time, especially for those who often fall through the cracks, the whole system works better.