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Healthcare in Bexley

This page uses indicators from the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF).

The PHOF displays a high-level overview of indicators relating to health and wider determinants of health that local authorities and the health system can use as a benchmark to compare themselves with other similar areas and over time. The data is the most recent figures on the Public Health Profiles and are sourced below. Learn more about the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Integrated Care System (ICS)

South East London’s Integrated Care System brings together all the organisations responsible for delivering health and care for our communities. This includes the Integrated Care Board, the NHS health services, six Local Authorities and organisations from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

The ICS are responsible for allocating public money as well as planning and delivering a wide range of health and care services. These will help to deliver this improvement in care for people, whether that’s in their neighbourhood, borough or across southeast London (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark).

The ICS have six overarching priorities for improving the lives of people in southeast London:

  • preventing illness and helping people to live healthier, happier lives
  • ensuring rapid access to high-quality specialist services when people need them
  • improving care for disadvantaged groups
  • delivering compassionate, whole-person care as close as possible to people’s homes
  • joining up care across health and other services
  • supporting the development of more resilient communities

Learn more about the South East London ICS.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs)

GP practices work together with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in their local areas in groups of practices known as Primary Care Networks (PCNs).

These PCNs form in the natural community, providing personal care for patients but also have a larger impact through collaboration between practices and others in local health and social care systems.

PCNs are led by clinical directors who may be a GP, general practice nurse, clinical pharmacist or other clinical profession working in general practice. There are 35 PCNs across South East London, with 4 based in Bexley consisting of 21 GP practices.

Voluntary Sector

Partnership working between the voluntary sector, local government and the NHS is crucial to improving care for people and communities. Voluntary (including Community and Social Enterprise organisations) are often embedded in neighbourhoods and have a unique advantage when it comes to engaging the most at risk and rarely heard communities.

They play a key role in facilitating dialogue between the system and its residents, making sure that services are co-produced with purpose, with residents at the heart of service provision.

In Bexley the voluntary sector is an integral part of planning and decision making particularly for health and care services, often represented through Bexley Voluntary Service Council. In addition, we design with, and commission individual and groups of voluntary sector organisations to provide services and support for residents.

Bexley Healthwatch

Healthwatch Bexley is the independent champion for people who use health and social care services. They make sure that those running services put people at the heart of care by understanding the needs, experiences and concerns of local people, and to speak out on their behalf. Healthwatch focuses on ensuring that people’s worries and concerns about current services are addressed and that future services are commissioned by taking experiences into account. Learn more about Healthwatch.

Independent Health Complaints Advocacy

Health Complaints Advocacy is a free, independent and confidential service that can help you if you want to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care or treatment. Advocacy for All provides Health Complaints advocacy to people who live in the London Borough of Bexley. The service aims are to ensure that you get the best possible outcome to your complaint and to ensure complaints are used positively to improve NHS services for the whole community. Find out more about Health Complaints Advocacy.

Mental Health

mental health

In 2018/19:

  • 264 per 100,000 people were admitted to the hospital for mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol, which is lower than both London and national figures
  • 358 per 100,000 people had inpatient stays in secondary mental health services, which was lower than both London and national figures

In 2019/20:

  • 0.76% residents were registered as living with a mental health condition, which is the 2nd lowest in London, and lower than the national figure
  • 26.3 per 100,000 people under 18 were admitted to hospital for mental health conditions, which was higher than the London and national figures
  • 0.8% of the overall population had dementia – the 3rd highest in London. 4.2% of residents aged 65 or over had dementia 

Adult Mental Health Services in Bexley are provided by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust who offer a wide range of specialist psychological and psychiatric support for people experiencing mental ill-health.

Oxleas run a Mental Health crisis helpline Mental Health Crisis Line: 0800 330 8590 (24-hour service) which is a 24hr telephone service for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The crisis line provides an opportunity to talk to a mental health professional about your mental health crisis. The service also provides advice and information for carers, family and friends who may know someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

Mind in Bexley - Mind is a charity that provides mental health services to residents in the borough.

Talking therapies - Mind in Bexley provide free talking therapy through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. The service is available to anyone over 18 and registered with a Bexley GP and can offer support to those struggling.

Crisis Café - The Bexley Crisis Café is a place to meet others with similar problems and to access mental health support and advice from mental health and wellbeing professionals. The Crisis Café is open outside of usual mental health service hours.

Wellbeing Line - 0808 196 3806 (Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm).

You can also phone the Counselling Matters helpline which is staffed by counsellors on 0800 047 26000 (open 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week).

Learn more about Mind in Bexley services and how to access them.

Maternity

In 2020:

  • there were 2405 deliveries and 2445 babies born
  • the average age for mothers giving birth was 31, with the largest number of mothers in the 30 to 34 age group
  • most babies were born in an NHS Obstetric Unit
  • most babies were born at 39 weeks and more babies were born late than premature

         

         

         

         

Women can receive specialist support from Perinatal services offered by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Children Centres in Bexley are a rich resource for parents before, after, and during pregnancy.

GPs, midwives, and health visitors continue support to women in what is now called the fourth trimester which includes post-natal support, and access to local support for key health needs such as healthy weight, smoking cessation, pelvic health, and diabetes. Antenatal and newborn screening is also a vital part of the women’s maternal health and the baby’s health after birth. This is commissioned by NHS England and part of the national screening programmes.
 

Children & Young People’s Health

From 2017 to 2019:

  • the infant mortality rate was 3.7 per 1,000, higher than London but lower than the national figure
  • the child (1 to 17 years) mortality rate was 6.3 per 1,000, lower than London and national figures
  • the neonatal mortality rate was 2.75 per 1,000, higher than London but lower than the national figure

From 2017/18 to 2019/20

  • there were 15 admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions for under 18s, which is lower than both the London and national figures
  • there were 50 hospital admissions due to substance misuse for young people aged 15 to 24 years old, which was higher than London but lower than the national figure

In 2018:

  • the under 18s conception rate was 13.9 per 1,000, this is the same as the London figure and lower than the national figure
  • the under 16s conception rate was 1.9 per 1,000, which was lower than the London and national figures

In 2018/19:

  • 11.7% primary school age pupils were taking free school meals, lower than the London and national figures
  • 9.5% secondary school-age pupils were taking free school meals, lower than the London and national figures 

In 2019/20:

  • 0.5% of teenagers were mothers, which was higher than London but lower than the national figure
  • there were 70 hospital admissions as a result of self-harm for children aged 10 to 24 years old, which was lower than both the London and national figures

For community nursing, including end of life care, children’s continuing care, and therapies for CYP with additional health needs, as well as substance misuse services and child mental health services, the provider for Bexley is Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. There is a range of voluntary sector providers also providing mental health support such as Kooth, Act for Change, Bexley Moorings, Charlton Athletic and Counselling Matters Bexley. There is also support for mental health needs within the youth offending service.

For 0 to 19 CYP, Public Health Nursing is provided by Bromley Health Care, which provides Health Visiting and School Nursing.

Children also have access to the national immunisation and screening programmes for school-aged vaccinations as well as access to checks for their weight and height, hearing and sight through a range of public health provisions.

There is also a range of community health and therapies support within schools for children with SEND and complex needs commissioned by LBB and schools themselves. Additional support is also provided by the CCG at an SEL level such as for CYP with ASD/MH/LD needs.

Sources