NHS Model Region Blueprint: Navigating the future of regional healthcare leadership

As part of the government’s ambitious 10-Year Health Plan, a new model region blueprint is reshaping how healthcare is governed, coordinated, and delivered across England’s seven NHS regions.

Following the release of the NHS Model Integrated Care Board (ICB) Blueprint and the establishment of ICBs as statutory bodies, the NHS is moving toward a more streamlined, accountable model of regional governance. The recent release of the Model Region Blueprint represents a fundamental shift from the current fragmented approach to a cohesive system where regions serve as the strategic bridge between national policy direction and local healthcare delivery.

This transformation comes at a critical time. With growing demand for healthcare services, persistent workforce challenges, and the need for greater system integration, the blueprint offers a roadmap for more effective regional leadership that can drive meaningful improvement while maintaining local responsiveness.

Key changes and highlights

Strategic leadership revolution

The blueprint establishes regions as strategic powerhouses, responsible for delivering medium-term plans, shaping provider landscapes, and leading on major system changes including workforce development and digital transformation at scale.

Enhanced accountability framework

A new performance oversight model ensures holistic monitoring of providers and ICBs, with regions maintaining board capability and primary care oversight while staying aligned with national frameworks and standards.

Coordinated improvement approach

Gone are the days of duplicated efforts. The new model coordinates improvement programs, regulatory interventions, and enables rapid capability sharing and best practice dissemination across the system.

Perhaps most significantly, the blueprint promotes clear roles, interfaces, and collaborative working methods across center-region-system levels, creating a unified leadership approach.

The transition is already underway through two key programmes: the New Operating Model Programme Board, led by regional and national leaders, and the joint DHSC/NHSE team designing the integrated center and regional model for the 10-Year Plan implementation.

Looking ahead, additional developments include the redesign of centrally managed postgraduate medical training programmes and decisions on the long-term organisational structure for emergency preparedness, resilience, and response (EPRR) capabilities. As things stand, EPRR responsibility is set to be removed from ICBs but has nowhere to go.

The success of this ambitious transformation will depend on navigating significant challenges including managing complex stakeholder relationships, ensuring effective change management across diverse regions, and maintaining service continuity while implementing substantial organisational restructuring—all within an already pressured healthcare system.

Read the snapshot below for a full summary:

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Find the full Model region blueprint here (requires access to NHS Futures).

NHS Model Region Blueprint: Navigating the future of regional healthcare leadership