NHS Mid and South Essex ICB: Service model design for a health and wellness centre

Creating the conditions for change

NHS Mid and South Essex ICB needed to replace two outdated GP facilities in Shoebury with a new health and wellness centre. However, with multiple organisations, competing priorities, and different ideas about how the space should function, the challenge was clear: how to unite stakeholders behind a shared vision that meets community needs and supports sustainable service delivery.

Healthia was appointed to lead a collaborative, human-centred design process - one that brought together the voices of residents, professionals and system leaders to co-create a service model that reflects community needs, clinical realities and long-term ambitions.
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Collaborative design with staff and community

We worked at stage zero of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of Work-the strategic definition phase-to ensure that the new centre’s purpose was clearly defined before architectural plans were developed.

• Facilitating collaboration across organisations – We engaged with NHS commissioners, GP staff, community groups, and local charities, ensuring decisions were made with broad stakeholder buy-in.
• Inclusive engagement – Through workshops, interviews, and site observations, we gathered insights directly from Shoebury residents, particularly those from underrepresented groups.
• Balancing ambition with feasibility – We worked closely with the ICB Finance Director, the Service Design Group, and architects from Ingleton Wood, aligning creative ideas with financial and operational realities.

By working across these stakeholder groups, we aligned diverse perspectives into a coherent, unified vision for the health centre-one that balances clinical needs, community priorities, and long-term sustainability.
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Designing a flexible, inclusive health space

Through extensive engagement, we identified essential service moments and space requirements that will shape the new health centre:

• Multi-purpose spaces – Flexible areas to accommodate clinics, community-led wellbeing initiatives, and educational events.
• Outdoor zones for care – Green spaces for waiting areas and therapeutic appointments, enhancing patient experience.
• Dedicated patient education spaces – Private areas for self-directed learning, ensuring accessibility to health resources.

These insights not only shaped the service model but-importantly-also informed the business case, ensuring that financial, operational, and community considerations were fully integrated.
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Impact: a shared vision for the future

• Strengthened cross-organisational collaboration – Stakeholders who previously worked in silos now have a shared roadmap for service integration.
• Increased engagement and confidence in the project – Our approach transformed perceptions and increased NHS stakeholder buy-in.
• Clear, evidence-based recommendations – The findings are now shaping the formal business case for the centre’s full design and construction.

By creating a space for collaboration, consensus-building, and future-oriented planning, Healthia has helped Mid and South Essex ICB take the project forward with clarity, confidence, and collective ownership.

"Choosing Healthia for the co-design foundations of the Shoebury project has been transformative. The team has already changed the perceptions of the project amongst our NHS stakeholders and increased engagement. Our joint work is going to underpin our business case to take the project forward with confidence and effective evidence."
- Sarah Mills, Transformation Lead, Mid and South Essex ICS

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Sarah Mills was the client lead, her video testimonial is linked here. NB She refers to our previous name, Mace & Menter.