Doctors are now taking into account issues like poverty and unemployment when seeing their patients at seven surgeries across east London.
Three surgeries under the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) have now been joined this week by four practices in Barking, Dagenham, Rainham and Upminster to broaden public care in “holistic community welfare”.
The idea is to understand effects of cost-of-living on people's health.
“We are supporting communities to make a difference in people’s quality of life,” the trust’s interim chief executive Lorraine Sunduza said.
The four practices joining the trust are Victoria Medical Centre in Barking, Five Elms Health Centre in Dagenham, Rainham Health Centre and Upminster Medical Centre.
They have 17,500 patients between them, ELFT said, with 30 medical staff.
The trust’s Primary Care Directorate already oversees practices such as Newham Transitional in East Ham, Health E1 in Spitalfields and Greenhouse in South Hackney, as well as three in Bedfordshire.
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