Countdown under way for opening of new health and wellbeing hub

Excitement is building ahead of the opening of a new health and wellbeing hub in Hornchurch that will transform the way healthcare is delivered for around 250,000 people living in Havering and surrounding areas.

The St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub in Suttons Lane is fast approaching its final stages of construction and fit-out, with staff busy preparing to see the first patients on site in September.

The modern purpose-built hub will provide access, seven days a week, to a range of health and wellbeing services. As well as a GP practice, these will include outpatient, mental health, children’s and community services.

A new ageing well centre will see older frail residents supported through a comprehensive assessment service designed to support their physical and mental health needs.

Patients will also be able to get scans and other diagnostic tests in a brand-new community diagnostic centre – avoiding the need for extra visits to local hospitals and helping clinicians provide faster and joined-up advice and support as part of the ground-breaking integrated care model that will be pioneered on site.

Dr Atul Agggrawal, a Havering GP and a clinical lead for the St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub programme, said: “This is an exciting approach to how we support people to get the best quality care and support in one place. By bringing different partners together to support our residents in a joined-up way, we will make it easier for people to live well, stay well and age well.”

The hub will also provide space for local voluntary and community groups to deliver a range of activities to support people’s wider health and wellbeing needs; as well as a community café, multi-purpose education and meeting spaces, and a dementia-friendly communal garden.

Zina Etheridge, Chief Executive Officer for NHS North East London, said: “It’s so exciting to see work nearing completion on this this fantastic new health centre.

“The hub is a brilliant example of how close collaboration between clinicians and partners, working hand in hand with local people, can deliver a solution tailored to current needs that is also fit for the future.”

Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive for Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We’re now weeks away from opening the hub that includes our community diagnostic centre and ageing well centre. Every year, thousands of residents will get the care they need more quickly and in a calmer environment away from busy hospitals.”

Dr Mohit Venkataram, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), which will provide a range of community, mental health and outreach services from the St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub, said: “Providing integrated services from modern state-of-the-art premises that are welcoming and respect the changing lifestyle and needs of residents is what our communities deserve.

“It’s inspiring to see the enthusiasm and commitment from clinical teams, who have put residents at the heart of their thinking, offering easier and quicker access to health, mental health and social care in a single visit.”

Yesterday (Thursday 8 August), Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez was given a tour of the hub as construction work enters its final stages.

Speaking after her visit, she said: “Delivering the St George’s NHS hub has been my top campaign priority since 2017, so it is absolutely brilliant that we are now only weeks away from seeing its doors open to patients.

“I want residents to get the very best healthcare, and the hub will be a game-changer on that front. With integrated health and social care services, plus a diagnostics hub that will see thousands more tests and scans delivered every year, St George’s looks set to become a national model of best practice. Not only that, but it creates an opportunity for Queen’s Hospital to remodel the overloaded A&E so that emergency care locally improves too.

“I’m so pleased to see everyone’s collective effort bear fruit, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to the NHS project team for delivering.”