Group of 9 people of different ages and ethnicities. Speech bubbles with text that reads: Join the Neighbourhood Forum. Be part of creating solutions to issues impacting health in your community. 2nd speech bubble reads: For residents in Bethnal Green, Globe Town, Weavers, Spitalfields & Banglatown. Logos: THCVS, WIT, Somali Senior Citizens Club, Social Action For Health, St Margaret’s House, Civil Society Consulting, Tower Hamlets Together, LBTH & NHS logos along the bottom.

Neighbourhood Forum

What barriers do patients face when trying to access primary care? How can patients, voluntary and community groups, and health partners work together to support residents to more effectively manage their own health? These are the questions that the Neighbourhood Forum pilot project in the North West of Tower Hamlets is trying to address.

What are the Neighbourhood Forums? The Neighbourhood Forum pilot is a project aimed at supporting patient voice to be at the heart of local decision making in primary care health systems. We began by delivering a co-design phase during which local residents and VCS organisations worked together to set priorities for how they wanted to see the forums operate and what they wanted the forums to achieve. Since then, we have held one Neighbourhood Forum in Primary Care Network 1 and one in Primary Care Network 2. We are now in the process of putting together action plans based upon the priorities identified by residents, health partners and the local VCS.

Primary Care Network 1 (PCN1)

Photograph of the graphic notes from the Neighbourhood Forum PCN1 workshop on 2 May 2024. Image drawn by: https://sketchskye.carbonmade.com/ @sketch_skye

The first Neighbourhood Forum meeting in PCN1 took place on 2 May 2024 at Women’s Inclusive Team. The themes that came out of this meeting include: 

  • The importance of feedback from consultation in building trust between communities and services.
  • The effect of barriers of access to primary care including digital-only systems, language, and cultural sensitivities.

Image above drawn by @sketch_skye / https://sketchskye.carbonmade.com/

Primary Care Network 2 (PCN2)

The second Neighbourhood Forum meeting in PCN2 took place on 29 April 2024 at the Brady Centre. The themes coming out of this meeting include: 

  • Inconsistencies of forms and levels of access between different GP practices.

  • Difficulties in finding and accessing appropriate and accessible activities to support people to be better able to manage their own health.

Image above drawn by www.sandrahowgate.com

Next Steps

The Neighbourhood Forum in the north-west of the borough has focused upon access to and the visibility of the Interpreting & Advocacy Service available in primary care settings in Tower Hamlets. Through a collaboration between the VCS, residents, and the GP Care Group we have examined barriers to access and co-produced new comms materials and access routes. 

Case Study