Key Points

• South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) launched two Women’s and Girls’ Health Hubs in spring 2025, covering Lambeth and the combined Greenwich and Bexley area.
• The hubs were co-designed following a health needs assessment that engaged more than 1,400 local women and girls, including communities experiencing health inequalities.
• Multidisciplinary teams deliver one-stop, intermediate-level care for women and girls aged 13 and older, addressing contraception, menstrual health, menopause and preconception care.
• Most patients are triaged within one week and seen within four weeks, compared to typical waits of 15 to 16 weeks for acute gynaecology.
• Workforce cost per patient is around £121 in Lambeth and £145 in Greenwich and Bexley, below the acute first outpatient tariff of £190.
• Translated materials, self-referral routes and community outreach via voluntary, community and social enterprise partners are improving access for residents who do not routinely use NHS services.
• An independent evaluation is underway, with commissioning investment secured for 2026 to 2027; learning will inform decisions on scaling the model across all south east London boroughs.
• Planned service expansions include breast pain assessment and care, pelvic organ prolapse and pessary fitting/removal, cervical cancer screening, and STI and HIV screening.
• The Lambeth hub is based at Minnie Kidd House in Clapham South; the Greenwich and Bexley hub operates from Market Street Health Centre in Woolwich, with options for other sites or online appointments.
• SEL ICB won the Patient Involvement and Choice Award at the inaugural NHS Excellence Awards in June 2026 for the hubs.

South East London (South London News) July 18, 2026 – Two pilot women’s health hubs in south east London have cut waiting times, improved access and reduced costs while bringing specialist care closer to home, according to NHS England. The South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) set up the hubs in spring 2025 after a health needs assessment that engaged more than 1,400 local women and girls, including communities facing health inequalities, to shape services around lived experience.

The hubs offer multidisciplinary, intermediate-level care for women and girls aged 13 and older, covering contraception, menstrual health, menopause and preconception care in a one-stop model.

Most patients are triaged within one week and seen within four weeks, a significant reduction from the 15 to 16 weeks commonly seen for acute gynaecology appointments, NHS England reports.

How are the hubs structured and where are they located?

The Lambeth hub operates initially as a virtual triage model, with plans to transition to an in-person hub based within an existing GP practice, Digital Health reported in July 2025. The Greenwich and Bexley hub is located within an existing community health centre alongside sexual, reproductive and contraception health services, enabling integrated care pathways.

The Lambeth hub is based at Minnie Kidd House in Clapham South, while the Greenwich and Bexley clinic is at Market Street Health Centre in Woolwich, with appointments also offered at other sites or online, the South East London ICS states.

As reported by NHS England, some people who do not identify as women may also require access to care provided by the health hubs, reflecting an inclusive approach to service design.

If a GP or clinician at a hub determines hospital treatment is needed, patients are referred to the appropriate secondary care service.

What services do the hubs provide and what is planned for expansion?

The hubs bring together doctors, nurses and other specialists to provide tailored advice and, if needed, treatment for conditions including menopause, period or menstrual problems such as heavy or irregular bleeding, contraception and preconception health in a single visit.

SEL ICB is planning to expand services to cover breast pain assessment and care; pelvic organ prolapse and pessary fitting/removal; cervical cancer screening; and STI and HIV screening, NHS England notes.

This approach aligns with broader NHS England guidance that women’s health hubs should offer a more specialist offer than most GPs, while also providing education and support to primary care and taking a public health role in preconception care, contraception and cervical screening.

By ensuring women are seen at the right time, in the right place, and by the right healthcare professional, hubs reduce unnecessary secondary care referrals and divert patients away from elective waiting lists.

How do the hubs improve access and reduce inequalities?

Translated materials, self-referral routes and community outreach through voluntary, community and social enterprise partners are improving access for residents who do not routinely use NHS services, NHS England states.

In Greenwich and Bexley, residents can self-refer into the service and book an appointment tailored to their healthcare needs, with support available via email or phone for those unsure how to use the system. In Lambeth, patients can speak to their GP to be referred, with specialist teams reviewing referrals to either send advice back to the GP, offer a hub appointment or refer on to the appropriate specialist team.

SEL ICB used spatial analysis of service usage and demographic data across six boroughs to identify precise locations in Lambeth and Greenwich that would benefit the most patients and help improve outcomes, Digital Health reported.

The hubs accept referrals from GPs and individuals self-referring, reducing the need for hospital visits and improving access to timely support.

What are the costs and efficiency gains?

The model delivers better value, with workforce cost per patient around £121 in Lambeth and £145 in Greenwich and Bexley, compared to an acute first outpatient tariff of £190, NHS England reports.

By offering a one-stop appointment and managing a high proportion of cases in the community, the hubs reduce pressure on busy hospital services and ease elective waiting lists.

Evidence from similar models elsewhere in London shows substantial efficiency gains: in Tower Hamlets, the share of gynaecology referrals needing secondary care fell from 85% to 25% within 12 months, with waiting lists down 30% in just a few months, NHS England notes. While south east London’s hubs are newer, the early data on wait times and costs points to comparable system benefits.

Who can access the hubs and how do patients enter the system?

The health hubs are open to all women and girls aged 13 and above in Bexley, Greenwich and Lambeth, with some people who do not identify as women also able to access care where clinically appropriate, the South East London ICS states.

Patients in Greenwich and Bexley can self-refer and book directly, while those in Lambeth go through their GP, with specialist review determining the next step.

Appointments may be in-person, virtual, or involve specialist advice sent back to the GP without the patient needing to be seen, depending on the hub and clinical need. Patients are contacted ahead of time with details of where to go or how to log in if the appointment is online.

What recognition has the initiative received?

SEL ICB won the Patient Involvement and Choice Award at the inaugural NHS Excellence Awards in June 2026 for its Women and Girls’ Health Hubs, NHS England reports.

The award recognised that the hubs were created with input from over 1,400 local women and girls, ensuring lived experience shaped the services offered, and that they bring tailored treatment closer to home while cutting waiting times and tackling gendered health inequalities.

Prior to the win, the hubs were shortlisted for the national NHS Excellence Awards in the patient involvement and choice category, with winners announced at the NHS Confederation Expo, LinkedIn reported in April 2026.

Background: How did the women’s health hubs develop in south east London?

Women’s health hubs have emerged across the NHS in response to fragmented service provision, where women often face multiple appointments in different settings, which exacerbates health inequalities for those less able to navigate a complex system, NHS England explains.

In 2024/25, NHS England’s operational planning guidance asked integrated care boards to establish and develop at least one women’s health hub in every ICB by the end of December 2024, with the expectation that at least 75% of ICBs have a hub in place by July 2024 meeting minimum requirements.

In south east London, SEL ICB used a health needs assessment engaging more than 1,400 local women and girls to co-design two pilot hubs, launched in spring 2025 for Lambeth and Greenwich and Bexley. Spatial analysis of service usage and demographic data helped pinpoint optimal sites in Lambeth and Greenwich to maximise patient benefit and reduce inequalities.

The Lambeth hub began as a virtual triage model with plans to move to an in-person GP-based hub, while Greenwich was sited within an existing community health centre alongside sexual and reproductive health services.

Early operational data showed most patients triaged within one week and seen within four weeks, with lower per-patient workforce costs than acute outpatient tariffs.

Access measures such as translated materials, self-referral routes and outreach via community partners were introduced to reach residents who do not routinely use NHS services.

Prediction: How might this development affect women and girls in south east London?

If the early performance of the hubs is sustained and the planned expansions are delivered, women and girls in Lambeth, Greenwich and Bexley are likely to experience shorter waits for menstrual, menopause, contraception and preconception care, with more cases managed in the community rather than hospitals.

The inclusion of self-referral in Greenwich and Bexley, alongside translated materials and community outreach, may particularly benefit residents who face barriers to accessing NHS services, potentially narrowing gendered health inequalities in those boroughs.

However, the overall impact across south east London will depend on how findings from the independent evaluation influence commissioning decisions for 2026 to 2027 and whether SEL ICB scales the model to all boroughs.

If learning from Lambeth, Greenwich and Bexley is used to replicate the hubs more widely, patients in other south east London areas could see similar reductions in waiting times and improved access to specialist women’s health care closer to home. Conversely, if expansion is delayed or resourcing is constrained, gains may remain concentrated in the pilot areas, with persistent variation in access across the region.