Emma speaks to Dr John Ribchester, a GP partner at Whitstable Medical Practice in Kent, a practice that is frequently cited as a leading example of the ‘neighbourhood NHS’ in action. The practice has spent years shifting services like diagnostics, day surgery, and urgent care out of hospital and into the community.

John explains the journey his practice took to develop this model, including the financial risks involved in building GP-owned premises capable of housing consultant clinics, diagnostics and an urgent treatment centre and why he believes working as a single-practice PCN has helped them to do this.

He also highlights some of the challenges the practice has faced along the way and the changes he thinks the government could introduce to make working in this way easier. And he offers some practical advice for GPs and primary care teams looking to create change from the ground up.

• As part of the MIMS Healthcare Network, GPonline has produced a new report for our subscribers on neighbourhood health - view the report here..

This episode was produced by Czarina Deen.

MIMS Learning Live

MIMS Learning Live South is returning to London on Friday 12 June 2026, and tickets are free to book.

This is your chance to boost your clinical know-how, connect with peers from across the UK, and gain fresh insights that can make a real difference in your patients’ lives. This year’s clinical programme covers issues including obesity management, paediatrics, women's health and cardiology.

We’re also running a GP Business hub stream aimed at GP partners, practice managers and PCN managers, which will cover practice finance, neighbourhood working, using AI in practice and how to meet the challenges of rising patient demand.

Get your tickets here www.mimslearninglive.com/south

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