BROMLEY BY BOW
Founded by Well North Executive Chair, Lord Andrew Mawson, the Bromley by Bow centre has been a catalyst for a variety of national flagship programmes including the blueprint for children’s centred and the national LIFT programme. The Health centre was the first integrated GP practice to be run as a social enterprise and owned by its local patients. It’s become internationally renowned as the template for successful regeneration of communities and is one of the ‘inspirational visits’ offered by the 360° Society.
The approach
In 1984, Andrew Mawson arrived as a young stipendiary Minister to take responsibility for a large run down church building in the East End of London. The church was surrounded by several housing estates, where the local residents received 95% of their income from state sources. Andrew felt that lots of resources were being invested into management committees and reports, with little significant change for the people most in need.
Following the tragic death of a local East End mother Jean Vialls and a public enquiry, by 1997 the Centre was transformed into an exemplar for integrated healthcare, opened by Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for Public Health in the Blair Government.
From the early 1990’s the Bromley by Bow Centre began to build a reputation for its model of community regeneration. This was based on the ideals of entrepreneurship, creativity, excellence and also the belief in the capacity of all human beings.
Key outputs
Today it is internationally known and has been used frequently by the government as a national exemplar for integrated health care and a template for the successful regeneration of communities. The Centre is, today, a complex organisation, running a huge range of projects across different sites, both independently and in partnership with others. It works with 2,000 people each week, and its services are tailored to the needs of the whole community: families, young people, vulnerable adults and elders. It houses the first integrated health centre, children’s nursery, art studios, business and enterprise hub, café, communiversity and a range of other integrated services.
The health centre became one of the working models for the £357 million Healthy Living Centre program, NHS LIFT, and the Darzi Centre’s – all early attempts to collocate services and generate a more integrated approach to primary health care.
The Bromley by Bow Centre is now a community charity offering over 40 services and activities and a community research project. They are closely affiliated with Bromley by Bow NHS Health Partnership.
360° Society Inspirational visits
You can visit Bromley by Bow Centre as well as the St Paul’s Way Transformation Project and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Legacy Park as one of our ‘inspirational visits’.
Contact Kris at Well North Enterprises for details.
Links
Find out more about the Bromley by Bow Centre on the Bromley by Bow website here.