We are recruiting four VCS Neighbourhood Facilitators. Read more

What are Neighbourhood Forums?

Neighbourhood Forums are a chance for people living, working and providing services in the Neighbourhood to come together in large cross-sector community meetings. Everyone from community groups, frontline NHS and Hackney Council staff, GPs residents, activists and local councillors have joined meetings so far.

Why should I come along?

Join your local Neighbourhood Forums to make connections and find out what’s going on locally, to share your insights, expertise, and experience and learn from others. You can bring ideas and opportunities you’d like to collaborate with others on.

Join a Neighbourhood Forum?

Email us or sign up here to get regular updates on the Neighbourhoods you support.

More information

If you’d like to know more please drop us a line and we’ll be happy to have a chat. Contact Veryan by email: veryan@hcvs.org.uk.

Background

• In 2019, the Neighbourhood Programme began with a Forum pilot at Well Street Common that has been running successfully ever since with an engaged following.
• During the pandemic there were six ‘Phases’ of Neighbourhood Conversations were rolled out across the other Neighbourhood areas of Hackney and City, focusing on supporting local Covid-19 response and building connections and a local network for wider communication, information sharing and increased opportunities to connect and collaborate.
• Summary Neighbourhood Reports were produced across emerging themes: digital divide, health impact, signposting and connecting with services, community action and mutual support, with inequality, poverty and food action.
• Workshops exploring local priorities were run across all 8 Hackney and City Neighbourhoods: health impact, collaboration and working together, signposting and connectivity. Plus FREE training responding to frontline needs, with mental health aware training in March receiving wide take up.
• In Shoreditch Park and City, the Shoreditch Trust and Social Innovation Partnership worked with local residents and community groups to start building Forum arrangements.
• In July 2022 four facilitators, seconded from community groups with bases within our Neighbourhoods, were charged with the role of building pairs of fully-fledged Forums out of the previous Neighbourhood Conversations, as well as continuing the development work at Shoreditch Park and City and Well Street Common.

What are Neighbourhoods?

In City and Hackney, GP practices have joined with residents, community groups, voluntary sector organisations, NHS and council staff to create eight ‘Neighbourhood’ areas.

Each Neighbourhood includes four to seven GP practices who will work as part of a team of local services to coordinate health and social care in the community to help improve the lives of around 30,000 – 50,000 residents who live in that Neighbourhood area.

Find out more about the Neighbourhoods Programme at https://cityandhackneyneighbourhoods.org.uk/