On October 16th, 2025, the Coastal Navigators’ Network (CNN) convened a national summit with partner locations, government, industry and third sector partners to tackle workforce challenges and health inequalities in coastal towns. The network is pioneering a “whole system” approach to early intervention, including focuses on challenges such as youth engagement, mental health, and career pathways to drive change at a place level. Working with NHSE and the APPG for Coastal Communities, the CNN leverages the power of its 18 partner locations to ensure coastal needs remain a national policy priority.

This full report from the Coastal Navigators Network (CNN)—a collaboration between NHS England and six coastal Integrated Care Boards—brings together eight months of learning, data, and innovation from the frontline of the nation’s coastal health challenges. From youth support in Felixstowe to suicide prevention in Thanet and housing-linked employment in Sussex, it showcases scalable interventions that tackle the root causes of poor health and economic exclusion.

Following on from the inception of the Network in the summer of 2024, to bringing together the first cross network roundtable in November of 2024, BBI is happy to share the progress to date in the establishment of the Coastal Navigators Network