North Lewisham Health Equity Team Wins National Award for Primary & Community Care Innovation
The North Lewisham Primary Care Network (PCN) and Red Ribbon Living Well’s Health Equity Team have been named winners of the Primary or Community Care Innovation of the Year Award at the 2025 GP Awards.
The award recognises initiatives that strengthen access to primary care, transform point of care from the hospital into the home or community, and improve care through cross-sector partnership.
The winning project – Health Equity Partnership: A Symbiotic Approach to Tackling Health Inequalities – is the result of a year-long, co-designed programme led jointly by North Lewisham PCN and Red Ribbon Living Well.
The project brought together primary care and community organisations to tackle health inequalities in North Lewisham through three workstreams:
- Health Equity and Wellbeing Champions: Recruited and trained to identify health needs in at-risk communities.
- Community Health Hubs: Nine accessible one-stop-shop outreach events, delivering NHS health checks, additional testing and specialist screenings to 678 attendees via health and voluntary sector collaboration.
- HIV Stigma Training: Targeted education and a co-produced animated resource to reduce HIV-related stigma in primary care.
The projects improved access to services and built lasting partnerships between health and community stakeholders.
Dr Camille Hirons, GP and project lead, said:
“I am incredibly proud of our Health Equity Team. We worked so hard on this project, and it was only made possible through genuine partnership, co-design, and collaboration with more than 20 community-based organisations and 14 local healthcare providers. Together, we brought care directly into the community and improved access in one of the most deprived areas of the borough.
Winning this award not only recognises the dedication and effort of all involved; it also highlights the power of true collaboration between community organisations and healthcare providers. It shows what can be achieved when we work side by side to deliver something meaningful and impactful for our residents.
It also shines an important light on health equity and the innovative work of Lewisham’s Health Equity Teams. A heartfelt thank you to Red Ribbon and Joyce for such a special partnership, and friendship.”
Dr Aaminah Verity, programme lead for Lewisham’s Health Equity Teams, added:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to see the Health Equity Teams programme, and the incredible partnership between Red Ribbon and North Lewisham PCN, recognised on such a prestigious stage. This award is a testament to what happens when primary care and community organisations work hand in hand with residents: innovation grows, trust deepens, and real change becomes possible. I’m so proud of their passion, commitment and tenacity, and delighted that Red Ribbon will continue their partnership with NLPCN as we build the next chapter of this programme together.”
With Cycle 2 of the Health Equity Teams Programme now underway, six new teams, including the ongoing North Lewisham PCN and Red Ribbon partnership, will continue co-designing holistic interventions and support system change in primary care to reduce health inequalities. With this strengthened model and a specific focus on cardiovascular disease, we are incredibly excited to see what these six teams will achieve for Lewisham’s Black and underserved communities. For more information and to keep up to date with the Health Equity Team Programme follow the Health Inequalities Page for Lewisham Public Health.
This national recognition highlights the transformative impact of the Health Equity Teams model and the power of deep, sustained collaboration between primary care and community organisations.