New plans to create a borough-wide Community Hubs Network, bringing local services together so they are easier to access, were approved at Public Cabinet on 1 July.
This new approach will focus on making better use of existing public buildings locally to improve access, strengthen prevention and make better use of the public estate.
The vision is for local hubs where residents can access a wide range of support in one place. This will help services work together, reduce duplication and make it easier for people to get help close to home.
This builds on learning from existing programmes, including Best Start in Life, Family Hubs, Live Well Age Well and multi‑disciplinary Family Help teams, but will also include wider services such as employment support or benefits advice. The range of services is likely to differ so as to reflect the specific needs in each area.
Examples such as the Erith Family Hub, the Sidcup locality pilot and The Nest in Thamesmead show how coordinated, community‑based support can identify needs earlier and make effective use of Bexley’s buildings.
This approach will afford our services an opportunity to work more closely with the NHS Neighbourhood Health Centres approach, aligning with national policy direction. Early discussions with our NHS partners have been positive.
The next stage will focus on detailed design, feasibility and partnership development.
This will include exploring potential funding routes such as the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
A further report will be brought to Cabinet once detailed plans are made.