Why listening beats building: Aire Logic’s human-centred tech for good approach

Neighbourhood health is no longer a distant vision, it’s central to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. This plan calls for three clear shifts: moving care from hospitals into communities, prioritising prevention over treatment, and harnessing digital tools to support people with complex needs. Complementing this, the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) is rolling out 43 test sites across England, focusing on areas with the greatest health inequalities. Together, these initiatives set the stage for neighbourhood health- but they also pose a critical question: how do we transform services in ways that genuinely meet people’s needs, without imposing top-down solutions?

In my experience, the answer is simple – we must listen first. Technology alone cannot solve complex health challenges. The human experience - the fears, motivations, and day-to-day realities of patients -is what determines whether a neighbourhood health service succeeds. As Esther Perel observes, “Today, we turn to one person to provide what an entire village once did: a sense of grounding, meaning, and continuity.” Neighbourhood health is about rebuilding that village through integrated teams, community support, and partnerships. But only if we begin by listening to the people delivering and receiving care.

Community-centric models drive outcomes

Building stronger local health systems requires a community-first approach. Understanding the unique needs of local populations has never been more crucial. At Aire Logic, we focus on developing solutions that enhance health systems at the neighbourhood level. Community-centric models lead to better health outcomes, increased accessibility, and higher patient satisfaction. Through tools like AireBlocks, we’ve seen first-hand how technology can empower teams to co-design solutions that are locally relevant, practical, and sustainable.

Our philosophy aligns closely with this approach. We believe in meaningful digital transformation for the maximum benefit of society, not shareholders. Purpose beats profit. Every project must pass our ‘tech for good’ test: if it doesn’t improve lives, we don’t do it. That mindset underpins how we work with neighbourhood health teams, ensuring that every digital intervention delivers measurable value for patients, staff, and communities alike.

Neighbourhood teams are tasked with supporting people with long-term conditions, frailty, and social isolation. Their work involves far more than treating symptoms: it requires understanding the biopsychosocial factors that influence outcomes. A frail individual, for example, may face challenges ranging from medication side effects to social isolation and limited transport access. By listening to these frontline insights, we co-design interventions that are practical and impactful, rather than imposing generic solutions.

Simplicity is central to our work. Health technology should facilitate care, not create bottlenecks. We focus on creating reusable, scalable components that reduce complexity, cut costs, and generate value from the outset. Fast feedback and constant optimisation allow teams to innovate safely, while digital tools such as shared care records and population health analytics empower professionals to act on insights in real time.

Cross-sector collaboration

The King’s Fund highlights that neighbourhood health cannot succeed through rigid, top-down implementation. Local flexibility, cross-sector collaboration, and adequate resourcing are essential, but workforce shortages and fragmented services make this difficult. Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWWs) exemplify a human-centred approach: recruited from the communities they serve, they connect households to health, social, and voluntary services, building trust and cultural understanding. Embedded in integrated neighbourhood teams, CHWWs transform insight into action.

Infrastructure matters too. Better care starts with better systems that talk to one another and allow data to flow seamlessly. At Aire Logic, we reduce technical debt and design architectures that create scale, value, and single sources of truth. Optimised data enables intelligence that offers tangible improvements in patient outcomes and eases the day-to-day work of health professionals.

Listening first, then build

Finally, success depends on genuine collaboration with local communities. The NHS’s ambition for neighbourhood health, as outlined in the 10 Year Plan and NNHIP, cannot be achieved by national diktat alone. We have to co-design and co-deliver solutions with the people on the ground, building on existing strengths and proven models. Listening first, building second is the key sequence that ensures neighbourhood health services improve lives in a measurable, sustainable way.

Neighbourhood health is about rebuilding the village. By combining human insight with purpose-driven technology, we can create integrated, resilient local health systems that deliver better outcomes for patients, professionals, and communities alike. That is the promise of Human-Centred Tech for Good.

Author

Maria Timson

Health Technology Consultant, Aire

Health and Social Care Programme activities

techUK is helping its members navigate the complex space of digital health in the UK to ensure our NHS and social care sector is prepared for the challenges of the future. We help validate new ideas and build impactful strategies, ultimately ensuring that members are market-ready. Visit the programme page here.