Publish date: 20 August 2026
Health checks on people with long-term conditions in Lancashire and South Cumbria have prevented an estimated 1,500 hospital admissions.
The programme of Holistic Health Assessments (HHAs) has seen more than 95,000 patient checks delivered by General Practice in the region over 2025/26, and according to Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) latest data, this has been associated with an 11.7 per cent reduction in urgent or unplanned admissions for those patients receiving an HHA.
The premise of these assessments is to systematically identify individuals with complex health or inclusion health needs who are at greater risk of hospital admission.
An HHA covers areas such as social care, primary care (including dental, pharmacy and optometry) and community health support. Once an unmet need is identified, then steps are taken to successfully manage that need with a referral, signposting the patient to available services, or an appointment to follow up at a later date.
Individuals at greatest risk have their assessment discussed at a structured local multidisciplinary meeting to agree on the best course of action.
Dr John Miles, clinical and care professional lead at the ICB, said: “Holistic Health Assessments were initiated as part of the newly-developed and commissioned Primary Care Long-Term Condition service.
“The success we’ve seen demonstrates the value of looking beyond a patient’s immediate clinical condition and taking a truly whole-person approach to care. By identifying unmet health, wellbeing and social needs at an earlier stage, we have been able to connect people with the right support, help them manage their conditions more effectively and reduce the likelihood of them needing emergency hospital care.
“The positive impact we are seeing across Lancashire and South Cumbria is a testament to the dedication of our General Practice teams and partners working together to improve outcomes for patients.”
The ICB is still continuing to analyse the data, but around five per cent of patients last year were referred to social prescribing services - non-clinical healthcare that includes local community or voluntary resources and services that address their needs and help to improve their health and wellbeing.
Dr Miles continued: “We know by comparing admission rates for those individuals before and three months after their assessment that we have reduced non-elective admissions – so those are unplanned or emergency admissions to hospitals - by at least 1,500 in the past year.
"This is likely to be an under-estimate too, as the benefit of the assessment should continue to be seen long after three months.”
Following their successful introduction, HHAs are continuing for 2026/27 and their scope could expand for the following year.
