NHS services across the capital are shifting healthcare from hospitals into communities, helping hospitals deliver the best, personalised care for those who need it most.
Based in the heart of communities, London’s neighbourhood health services offer convenient NHS treatment that is close to home and often available on the day.
Dame Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London, said: “The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan sets out a transformative shift from hospital care to community services. This will provide people with accessible, community-based care that conveniently fits around their every-day lives.”
Croydon Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are transforming how health and care services are delivered within local communities, bringing together professionals from health, social care, and the voluntary and community sector to work as one team.
The teams enhance health and care services by encouraging collaborative working, which provides residents with more co-ordinated and holistic care. By supporting professionals to work together in a more proactive way, residents, who may be at risk, can be identified and receive earlier, tailored interventions.
Matthew Kershaw, Place-Based Leader for Croydon and Chief Executive for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: “Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are transforming how we work in Croydon, bringing together health and care professionals, along with those from the voluntary and community sectors, to provide more coordinated, person-centred support close to home.
“Since launching in 2017, we have provided nearly 3,500 residents with proactive care planning. As a result, many of these individuals have been able to remain in their own homes rather than being admitted to hospital.”
Neighbourhood health services are designed to work around Londoners’ lives, by bringing together GPs, mental health support, acute and specialist services, local authorities and voluntary services, to deliver coordinated care within the community.
The NHS recognises that health and wellbeing is shaped as much by housing, employment, education, and community, as by medicine. By strengthening connections between the NHS and public services in London, and making it easier to access non-clinical support, the neighbourhood health service will also help tackle the broader causes of ill-health.
In North East London, St. George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub, is a purpose-built facility that brings together health, social care and voluntary services under one roof.
Recently shortlisted for a Health Service Journal Award in the Integrated Care Initiative of the Year category, the hub shifts care into the community and reduces reliance on hospital services.
Irvine Muronzi, Integrated Care Director of Havering, said: “The key feature of the hub is its emphasis on community wellbeing – there is a café for socialising, multi-purpose educational and meeting spaces, multi-faith room and a sensory dementia-friendly communal garden for relaxation and inclusivity. It is truly a community hospital in your back garden, supported by a wonderful team, local volunteers – everyone is welcome to visit.”
The Government’s 10 Year Health plan sets out a long-term vision where every community will have access to a Neighbourhood Health Centre. Here, multidisciplinary teams will be based, bringing care directly to communities.
Families in Hammersmith and Fulham are also reaping the benefits of local support thanks to a community-based children’s dental care project. Central London Community Health Trust are supporting hundreds of local young children to learn how to brush and care for their teeth.
Through the Oral Health Promotion Service, nursery and primary school staff can access training to enable them to deliver daily supervised toothbrushing sessions in areas of high deprivation.
Binodbikash Simkhada, Oral Health Promotion Service Manager at CLCH said: “Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admissions among young children, but it is also almost preventable. Our supervised toothbrushing programme is making a real difference in our neighbourhoods by helping children develop healthy habits early, supporting parents and schools, and reducing inequalities in oral health.
“Across the three boroughs (Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster), we have 52 settings running the programme, with 174 staff trained, and at least 1,100 children taking part in the supervised toothbrushing programme.
“With the expansion of this programme across London, we have a real opportunity to prevent unnecessary pain, hospital visits, and time lost from school, giving children the best possible start in life.”
