On August 16, 2025, the NHS in England rolled out a series of bold new initiatives designed to deliver healthcare closer to home, embracing both community-based outreach and cutting-edge technology. From bustling Wetherspoons pubs in Lancashire to the radiology departments of seven major hospitals, the NHS is reshaping how care is delivered, aiming to catch diseases earlier, treat them more effectively, and make life a bit easier for patients and their families.
One of the most eye-catching efforts is taking place in the North West, where NHS teams are carrying out respiratory assessments in Wetherspoons pubs—a move that might have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. But as Dr. Linda Charles-Ozuzu, Regional Director of Commissioning for NHS England in the North West, explained to the Lancashire Evening Post, the goal is simple: "NHS teams and partners across the North West are coming up with ever more innovative ways to take healthcare out into the community so that we can reach the people who need our help closer to where they live and allow hospitals to focus on delivering only the best, personalised care for those who need it most."
This approach is part of the NHS’s ambitious 10 Year Plan For Health, which seeks to shift the balance of care from hospitals to communities. Among the plan’s highlights are the creation of ‘virtual wards’—where patients receive hospital-quality care without ever leaving their homes—expanded access to services via the NHS App, more convenient prescriptions, quicker specialist referrals, and round-the-clock mental health support.
The Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network is at the forefront of this transformation. Serving North Lancashire, Barrow in Furness, and South Lakes, the network offers assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for a range of respiratory conditions, including complex asthma and COPD. It’s not just about treating illness, either—the network’s seven community Breathe Easy support groups and its provision of pulmonary rehab chest physiotherapy immediately after hospital discharge have been shown to reduce the risk of readmission. And for those who need it most, the network supports people to "die well" in their preferred place, instead of in a hospital bed.
One particularly innovative pilot involved setting up drop-in respiratory assessment clinics inside Wetherspoons pubs. The logic is clear: people who might not otherwise visit a doctor can get checked out in a familiar, accessible setting. The pilot was so successful that the network now plans to expand to other community venues. This approach, which brings together GPs, hospital consultants, occupational therapists, and specialist nurses to discuss and plan care, has reduced referrals into secondary (hospital) care by more than 70 percent, according to the Lancashire Evening Post.
For patients like 92-year-old Mary Chrystal from Lancaster, the impact has been profound. After weeks in Royal Lancaster Infirmary with low oxygen levels, Mary was able to return home with a full package of support, including the Advanced Respiratory Care at Home team and Dignity in Life carers. Her daughter, Anne Banks, shared, "After several weeks in hospital having investigations and treatment for low oxygen levels, Mum was desperate to go home. We knew she might not have long left and she didn’t want to die in hospital. A respiratory nurse who works between the community and hospital helped to put everything in place and although she is weak, Mum is so happy to be home and is doing so much better than in hospital. She has felt really supported and couldn’t have had better care."
Technology is also playing a starring role in this healthcare revolution. The award-winning virtual ward at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals now boasts 75 virtual ‘beds,’ providing medical, nursing, and therapy care in patients’ homes. Overseen by a multidisciplinary team that meets daily, the virtual ward helps people avoid unnecessary hospital admissions or leave hospital earlier. The system recently won a Health Service Journal Digital Award for its use of technology, which allows everyone involved in a patient’s care to view and update records, send electronic prescriptions directly to local pharmacies, and connect community staff with hospital consultants for extra expertise.
Elsewhere in the North West, thousands of cancer patients in Greater Manchester and Cheshire are benefiting from The Christie’s network of local centers, which provide radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy treatments at multiple sites—and even in patients’ homes. The Christie treats more patients at home than any other cancer center in the UK, making life-saving care more accessible and less disruptive.
Mental health care is getting a community boost too. A mobile crisis response service now operates on Greater Manchester’s rail network, offering immediate assessment and support to people experiencing a mental health crisis. According to the Lancashire Evening Post, the service has helped 92 percent of those it supports avoid hospital admission, and 77 percent avoid an A&E visit, instead receiving community-based care.
Pharmacies are also joining the front lines. As of August 2025, 60 community pharmacies across Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, and South Cumbria began offering the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine to adults aged 70 to 75 and pregnant women, as part of a national rollout. The goal is to make vaccination more accessible and convenient, especially for those most at risk.
Meanwhile, the NHS is harnessing artificial intelligence to tackle prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK. On August 16, 2025, a two-year pilot began involving more than 3,000 men, aiming to speed up diagnosis and improve survival rates. Prostate cancer is diagnosed in around 55,000 men in the UK each year, with 12,000 deaths annually. Yet only half of cases are caught early, when treatment is most effective.
The AI software, developed by Quibim, highlights suspicious regions in MRI scans, helping radiologists detect around 11 percent more early-stage cancers. Clinical trials suggest the technology can raise detection rates from 80 percent to over 90 percent. Early detection is key: almost all men diagnosed at stage one or two survive five years, compared to less than 50 percent for those with late-stage disease.
The pilot, backed by £2.6 million in NHS funding and rolled out to seven hospitals in England, will also examine cost-effectiveness and the impact on health inequalities. Black men, for example, are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer. Prof Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, told The Telegraph, "The NHS is funding and testing this exciting AI technology to help us diagnose and treat prostate cancer patients as quickly as possible and offer them the best chance of survival. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS is taking advantage of our unique position to test state-of-the-art technology like this, and rolling it out as fast as we can to make the NHS fit for the future."
Dr. Ángel Alberich-Bayarri, chief executive of Quibim, added, "This NHS rollout is a major milestone in our mission to improve cancer diagnostics through AI. We’re proud to support the NHS in advancing early detection and addressing health inequalities in prostate cancer care. By empowering radiologists with AI, we can help ensure more men are diagnosed earlier, when their chances of survival are highest."
The UK National Screening Committee is now considering whether to recommend targeted screening for prostate cancer, which currently has no national screening program. Experts hope that, with improved diagnostic technology, screening could reduce deaths by 40 percent—a potential game changer for men’s health.
All told, the NHS’s push for community-based care and technological innovation is reshaping the patient experience, bringing vital services to people where they are and harnessing the latest tools to save lives. It’s a new era of healthcare—one that’s as close as the corner pub or the smartphone in your pocket.