NHS Prevention Pledge strengthens regional commitment to prevention and health equity

The NHS Prevention Pledge is a programme of work within NHS Cheshire & Merseyside’s Population Health Programme. Developed and delivered by HEG, the programme has worked with the sub-region’s provider trusts since 2020, and more recently with a cohort of primary care organisations, to prioritise prevention, reduce health inequalities and maximise social value through a structured framework of core commitments.

Planning is underway with the 15 provider trusts in Cheshire & Merseyside for the annual series of Community of Practice meetings for 2026–27, which provide a forum to share current practice and identify opportunities for collaboration between trusts and wider stakeholders. The first meeting will take place on 2 July and focus on Commitment 7, which prioritises working with primary care, local authorities and VCSE organisations to systematically connect people to sources of non-clinical support. Trusts will also come together in early October for the programme’s annual in-person workshop, which this year will focus on health literacy and health inequalities.

There has also been growing interest in the programme beyond Cheshire & Merseyside. During 2026, Prof Ian Ashworth (Director of Population Health, NHS Cheshire & Merseyside) and Matthew Philpott (Executive Director, HEG) were invited to present the NHS Prevention Pledge to wider audiences, including the North West Population Health Board in February and an NHS England webinar in May, Shift to Prevention and What it Means for Public Health, which attracted more than 250 attendees.

Significant progress has also been made over the last 12 months with the primary care model of the NHS Prevention Pledge. Underpinned by six core commitments, the framework focuses on embedding prevention in governance and decision-making; tackling health inequalities through partnership working and social prescribing; strengthening anchor institution practices; promoting MECC approaches across the workforce; creating health-promoting primary care environments; and supporting staff wellbeing and organisational resilience.

Building on the success of working with 12 PCNs and GP practices during 2025–26, HEG and NHS Cheshire & Merseyside are further expanding the programme during 2026–27, with an additional intake of PCNs joining the programme. New sites will receive a comprehensive package of support, including mapping sessions, action-planning tools, one-to-one support and access to quarterly Community of Practice meetings to share learning and partnership opportunities.

Alongside welcoming new sites, HEG will continue to work closely with existing PCNs to help sustain and develop their prevention activity. Primary care organisations that have demonstrated sustained progress and reached 18 months of maturity in adopting the Prevention Pledge — SWAGGA PCN, Central Liverpool PCN and Merepark Medical Centre — will receive a Prevention Pledge Award during the summer in recognition of their achievement and commitment to improving population health.

Commenting on the continued expansion of the programme, Matthew Philpott, Executive Director at HEG, said:

“We are incredibly proud of how far this programme has come over the last two years. The commitment shown by both our established and newly joining PCNs demonstrates a growing recognition of the importance of prevention, health equity and neighbourhood-based working.

“Through collaboration, shared learning and sustained leadership, the Prevention Pledge is helping to embed prevention as everybody’s business across primary care.”