Chair of newly merged ICB visits Violet Melchett Health Hub
On 15 April, Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub welcomed a visit from Mike Bell, Chair of the newly merged North West London Integrated Care Board.
Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub represents an innovative, neighbourhood based approach to prevention, partnership, and improving health and wellbeing. At its core is the vital role of primary care, with strong clinical leadership from Dr Fiona Butler Clinical Director of Brompton Primary Care Network, Senior Partner at Health Partners, and Chair of West London GP Federation. The Hub brings together health, community, and voluntary sector partners to deliver more integrated, proactive care that meets people where they are.
During his visit, Mike met a wide range of teams working across the Hub, including GPs, community health services, mental health teams and local community organisations, including a yoga workshop that was taking place with local residents. The visit showed how different services are working together in one place to better support local people. The Hub includes a GPs, community services and activities, plus holistic support for wellbeing and healthy living. CLCH services include community nursing, podiatry, dietetics, community diabetes and tissue viability.
The Hub is more than a healthcare facility, it is a warm, welcoming community asset designed to support local people in a holistic way. A key part of this model is the role of Neighbourhood Navigators, who build trusted relationships within the community through social prescribing, the organisation of events and activities, and initiatives such as cardiovascular disease screening. Their work is instrumental in connecting people to the right support, reducing isolation, and strengthening links between services and residents.
At the heart of the Hub is the Community Corner, a space where anyone can drop in without an appointment. Here, people can find out about local groups, events and activities, access practical support, or simply enjoy a cup of coffee and a conversation. This open, inclusive approach helps foster a sense of belonging while ensuring that support is accessible, informal and responsive to the needs of the community.
Staff shared how the Hub is improving access to care, using digital tools to help patients get support more quickly. They also showed how care is being moved closer to home, helping people avoid unnecessary hospital visits. A strong focus on prevention and community support is helping people stay well for longer.
The visit also highlighted the population health challenges in the area, where there are significant differences in wealth and health outcomes. Teams at the Hub are working closely with local residents to design services that meet their needs and reduce health inequalities.
Mike has more than 25 years’ experience in senior roles in the NHS, serving on the boards of strategic health authorities and as vice chair of NHS London, as well as chairing NHS trusts, including Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Speaking at the visit, Mike Bell said:
“What a treat today’s visit has been. I’ve met teams across a number of organisations, from CLCH and CNWL, through to a local GP practice, third sector organisations, partners in mental health, and more.
“I found a group of inspiring people who have shown real commitment to working in neighbourhoods, working collectively and putting patients at the hearts of everything they do. I’ve been impressed at how teams here can anticipate health needs and make sure that people stay well rather than just treat.
“As Chair of our new ICB, I’m really looking forward to being able to progress the neighbourhood health agenda make our dream of neighbourhood health a reality been talking about it for 25 years now is the time to actually do it.”
Rita Thakaria, Managing Director across the health and care partnership, said:
“We’ve been able to show Mike and colleagues the strength of our partnership, the excitement, the ambition and the sustained passion and commitment to working differently with neighbourhoods, putting communities at the forefront of everything that we do.
“We have a very clear mandate from communities to work with them differently, to join up how we work together to help them stay well and healthy for longer.
“As an integrator in the bi-borough, we have a real opportunity to focus and target communities who are not served well with the current way we work and make a real difference to their long-term health.”
Navneet Willoughby, Director of the Inner North West Division at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, added:
“Today has been a really positive visit. It was great to show how community health services are working closely with partners to provide care to people earlier and closer to home. At CLCH, we see every day how joined-up working can make a real difference for patients, helping them stay well and reduce the need for hospital care. The work at Violet Melchett is a strong example of how neighbourhood teams can come together to deliver better, more personalised care for local people.”
Dr Fiona Butler Director of Brompton Primary Care Network, Senior Partner at Health Partners, and Chair of West London GP Federation said:
“We were delighted to welcome Mike, Liz, Sarah and Emma to Violet Melchett today. Our model demonstrates the strength of community based approaches in keeping people healthy and well, and in preventing illness before it occurs. The support of CLCH and our wider partners has been invaluable. Together we shall continue to build on our strong local partnerships to innovate and improve outcomes across our population. By sharing our experience, we hope this approach can be scaled more widely across West and North London and beyond.”
The visit finished with a roundtable discussion, where partners talked about how they can continue working together to build strong neighbourhood teams and improve care for local communities.
