The conversation about public health in NHS isn’t just an internal policy issue, it’s a national matter that touches every level of the UK health system, from hospitals and integrated care boards to the care providers delivering essential frontline services daily.

For organisations delivering domiciliary care, supported living, supported accommodation, children’s services, extra care/live-in, patient transport, or day services, this changing landscape has direct implications especially when it comes to health and social care tenders and the future of sustainable service delivery.

At AssuredBID, we understand that these shifts aren’t just about policies; they shape how care providers plan, bid, and deliver services that keep communities healthy.

The NHS “Prevention Revolution”: Promise and Reality

The UK Government’s pledge to spark a “prevention revolution” in the NHS was meant to transform healthcare from a reactive system to a proactive one,  tackling illness before it begins.

The idea was simple: empower people to live healthier lives while relieving pressure on acute and emergency services. But as the BMA’s recent commentary reveals, the 10-year plan for prevention offers limited clarity on how this transformation will happen – particularly across community-based care sectors that already carry much of the preventive load.

Health and social care providers are the bridge between the NHS and local communities. They are the ones monitoring daily health changes, supporting vulnerable groups, and preventing hospital readmissions through consistent, compassionate care. Without structured integration of public health experts and preventive frameworks, these providers risk being left out of national reform conversations, despite being at the heart of implementation, rendering public health in NHS useless.

Recent reports, including coverage by the BBC, highlight how public health reforms continue to face funding and policy challenges across England.

Public Health Expertise: The Missing Link

A crucial concern highlighted by public health leaders is the diminishing presence of trained public health consultants within NHS England and regional health systems. These specialists drive evidence-based planning from understanding population health data to shaping cost-effective interventions.

Yet today, there are fewer than 40 such consultants working across England’s integrated care boards (ICBs). In some areas, these critical roles are being replaced by non-specialist “population health” workers, leaving major knowledge gaps in prevention-focused service design.

For local care providers, whether running supported living homes or patient transport services – this lack of coordinated insight often translates to fragmented funding and inconsistent contract opportunities. Preventive efforts like fall reduction, chronic disease monitoring, or community mental health support are harder to scale when data and strategy aren’t aligned from the top down.

Why Public health in NHS Matters for Care Providers and Tenders

For organisations bidding for health and social care contracts, the changes in public health structure affect how tenders are evaluated and awarded. The NHS and local authorities are increasingly looking for providers who can prove their value in prevention, integration, and measurable outcomes.

That means providers in:

• Domiciliary care must show how their visits reduce hospital readmissions.
• Supported living and supported accommodation services must demonstrate long-term behavioural and well-being outcomes.
• Children’s services must align with early intervention priorities.
• Extra care/live-in services must show how they reduce strain on residential facilities.
• Patient transport services must highlight safe, efficient, and continuity-focused mobility for vulnerable patients.
• Day service centres must illustrate how community activities contribute to mental and physical health stability.

To stay competitive, care organisations must enhance their bid readiness from compliance and pricing to storytelling using proven tools like BIDSuite to manage documentation and deadlines efficiently.

Rebuilding Public Health Capacity: What the NHS Must Get Right

The BMA’s call to rebuild public health within the NHS outlines several steps that could empower both national systems and local care providers:

• Reinstating public health consultants across ICBs and major provider trusts to ensure expertise guides every decision.
• Expanding healthcare public health placements for training and knowledge transfer.
• Establishing clearer collaboration frameworks between NHS England, local councils, and community providers.

This restructuring must not overlook the private and voluntary care sectors. The UK’s preventive health ambitions depend heavily on collaboration with providers already embedded in homes, communities, and daily life.

When providers have consistent access to data, direction, and tender opportunities that reward preventive work, everyone benefits – patients, staff, and public health in NHS itself.

A Human-Centred Approach to the Future of Prevention

Behind every policy debate are human stories – carers helping older adults manage medication, support workers guiding people toward independence, and nurses offering care in supported living homes.

These are the quiet drivers of public health progress. They make prevention tangible. But for them to succeed, there must be alignment between strategy and delivery.

At AssuredBID, we see how this alignment begins with well-structured, competitive tenders that reflect both the social and economic value of preventive care. When bids demonstrate measurable community impact, from improved mobility to mental health stability, commissioners take notice.

That’s how healthcare in the UK can evolve not just through restructuring, but through enabling the people and providers already making a difference every day.

Reimagining Public Health Through Partnership

Rebuilding public health in NHS requires partnership at every level. Commissioners must trust providers as equal partners in prevention. Providers must adopt data-driven models that prove their impact. And bid writers, consultants, and strategists must help translate care outcomes into measurable value for funders.

This is where organisations like AssuredBID come in – guiding providers through the complex tendering landscape, helping them articulate how their services strengthen public health outcomes, and ensuring their bids stand out in a competitive market.

Prevention Begins With Us

Public health isn’t a distant policy concept – it lives in every home visit, every supported living plan, every safe transport to a clinic. For the NHS to rebuild trust and truly deliver a prevention revolution, it must value and invest in the ecosystem of health and social care providers who are already driving these outcomes daily.

At AssuredBID, we remain committed to supporting providers across the UK in positioning their services as essential partners in the nation’s preventive health journey – one contract, one bid, and one community at a time.

To explore how your organisation can align with the NHS prevention agenda and win relevant contracts, book a free consultation with our team today.