Pioneering a new way of working through the power of volunteering

The St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub recently celebrated its first anniversary with residents, volunteers and staff. In just one year, it has quickly become a valued part of the local community and gained national recognition, winning a bronze award at the 2025 Building Better Healthcare Awards and being shortlisted for HSJ’s Integrated Care Initiative of the Year.

One of the most powerful features of the Hub is our volunteers – the friendly faces in green vests who greet visitors every day and make a huge impact on those they meet. Volunteers act as wayfinders, chaperones and reception support, helping patients check in and navigate services.

More than 90 volunteers have contributed more than 10,900 hours in the past year.

Their impact goes beyond the building. To date, 528 people have moved into paid employment after volunteering at the Hub, in many cases following long periods out of work.

By working closely with the local council (the London Borough of Havering) and the Department for Work and Pensions, the Hub can also offer employment support to patients, recognising that good health and good work go hand in hand if we are to reduce rising rates of health-related economic inactivity.

Many people who attend the Hub will also visit the dementia-friendly sensory garden, which offers new opportunities, including gardening roles, supporting patients in their recovery journeys.

The garden is also home to the volunteer-led Spring Community Café. The café offers a renal-friendly menu co-produced with dialysis patients and clinicians, and hosts mum and baby groups.

Evening and weekend activities such as pilates and yoga help people stay active and connected. Our Creative Health Programme further enriches the space, using artistic and cultural activities to support wellbeing, reduce isolation and bring people together.

Alongside this, voluntary sector organisations based at the Hub provide direct, practical support to visitors – including nutritionists, who also offer advice on long-term conditions and how small changes to daily routines or diet can have a significant impact, and Live Well Havering, which delivers a range of community support services – with clinical teams able to connect people immediately into this support network to provide truly wraparound care.

An important factor behind the success of the Hub is the ability for patients to also access their GP alongside a wide range of joined-up health services, all under one roof and close to home, without needing to go to hospital – reflecting its central vision of encouraging, developing and maintaining physical, mental and social health, wellbeing and independence.

The Hub brings together a GP surgery, Community Diagnostic Centre, Ageing Well Centre, renal dialysis, mental health support and a range of other specialist NHS services including  health visitors, dieticians, children’s speech and language therapists, talking therapies, and support for people living with diabetes, respiratory and cardiac conditions.

These services are helping to ease pressure on local hospitals. Around 1,000 people now receive blood tests at the Hub each month. Patients can also access MRI and CT scans, ultrasound, X-rays and vital kidney treatment on site – services that would previously have required a hospital visit but are now available closer to home.

Patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 98% reporting a good experience. The Hub is more than a healthcare building; it is a welcoming community space open to residents even without an appointment.

St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub is an example of what is possible when the NHS works alongside its partners and local communities. Through the power of volunteering, better integration of services and shared spaces for local residents, we are unlocking the NHS’s role as an anchor institution – improving health while supporting people into work and strengthening local communities.

We are working hard to roll this model of care out across north east London with our local partners, so we can deliver on the 10-Year Health Plan’s vision for integrated neighbourhood health services and make the government’s three big shifts in healthcare become a reality.

Adam Croom, Communications Lead – NHS North East London