---
title: "Neighbourhood Health Centres and CQC Registration: What happens when multiple providers share one space?"
description: What does CQC registration look like when multiple providers share a neighbourhood health centre? Key considerations for providers working in shared spaces
---

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# [Neighbourhood Health Centres and CQC Registration: What happens when multiple providers share one space?](https://blog.baxcqc.co.uk/articles/neighbourhood-health-centres-and-cqc-registration-what-happens-when-multiple-providers-share-one-space)

 Written by [Kelsey Price](https://blog.baxcqc.co.uk/articles/author/kelsey-price) | Apr 17, 2026 1:15:55 PM

The policy direction is clear, the targets are set, and NHS estates teams are already working through which buildings will be repurposed first. But alongside the excitement about co-location and integrated care, a practical question keeps surfacing, one that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime: what does CQC registration actually look like when several providers are operating under the same roof?

The NHS is moving decisively toward a neighbourhood model of care.

The government has committed to delivering 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) by 2035, with 120 by 2030. The first wave (2026–27) will largely focus on repurposing existing NHS estate in areas of highest deprivation.

These centres are designed as shared clinical environments, where multiple services and providers operate side-by-side, often sharing infrastructure, but not governance.

This raises a recurring and important question:

> ###### **“How does CQC registration work when multiple providers operate from the same place?”**

To answer that properly, you need to understand two things:

*This blog was written in partnership with the THC Primary Care. *

## **The direction of travel: the neighbourhood model**

At the heart of the NHS 10-Year Plan is a fundamental shift in how care is organised:

###### **1. From hospital → community**

Care is moving closer to where people live, with diagnostics, outpatient activity, and prevention delivered locally.

###### **2. From fragmentation → integration**

Neighbourhood models bring together:

###### **3. From single organisations → multi-provider ecosystems**

The model explicitly promotes:

###### **4. From treatment → prevention**

Services are increasingly designed around population health, not episodic care.

Where regulation anchors: what is a “location”?

Despite this operational shift, the regulatory framework remains clear and unchanged.

> A CQC location is:
> 
> *The place where regulated activities are delivered.*

And critically:

## **The tension: flexibility vs accountability**

This is where providers often get caught out.

The NHS is moving toward:

But the CQC still requires:

## **Co-location does not mean shared registration**

Even in a fully integrated neighbourhood hub, the reality is:

What this means in practice

If you are operating (or planning to operate) within a Neighbourhood Health Centre:

###### **1. Map your activity to delivery**

Ask: *Where is care actually being delivered?*

That determines whether a location needs to be declared.

###### **2. Don’t assume shared space removes registration requirements**

Even if you:

- - - Rent rooms
          - Use space intermittently
          - Operate clinics within a wider hub

You may still need to register that location.

###### **3. Separate estate from regulation**

Be clear on the distinction:

- - - Lease/licence agreement → who owns or manages the space
          - CQC registration → who is responsible for care delivered within it

They are not the same thing.

###### **4. Be explicit about governance**

This is what inspectors will focus on:

- - - Who is responsible for patient safety in that space?
          - How is emergency equipment accessed?
          - How is infection prevention and control managed?
          - How do patient pathways operate within a shared environment?

The question is never *“Who owns the building?”, *it is always *“Who is accountable for care delivered here?”*

## **The bottom line**

The system is becoming more integrated operationally, but remains provider-specific regulatorily. The building can be shared, but in CQC's eyes, the responsibility cannot.

That is the core tension every provider operating in a Neighbourhood Health Centre must navigate.

 

> ## **Get in touch with BAXCQC today**

Please email Kelsey Price at [**kelsey.price@baxendale.co.uk**](mailto:kelsey.price@baxendale.co.uk), or book a call, to get expert guidance on CQC registration for shared neighbourhood health centre models, including responsibilities, registration pathways and timelines.

[View full post](https://blog.baxcqc.co.uk/articles/neighbourhood-health-centres-and-cqc-registration-what-happens-when-multiple-providers-share-one-space)

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