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Delivering Community Nursing in Neighbourhoods

Over the past two years, The Adult Community Nursing Team has undergone remodelling work to deliver their service through eight Neighbourhood Nursing Teams alongside a new Single Point of Access (SPA). Moving from larger cluster localities to eight Neighbourhood Teams has been beneficial in providing smaller and more multiple teams, able to focus on the needs of their local populations.

There is now one central point for triaging referrals to the SPA clinical staff who can carry out initial assessments for patients new to the service and manage short episodes of care; like blood tests and post-operative wound care. This means that those patients requiring longer term care can be triaged or transferred to their relevant Neighbourhood team so the nursing team can really get to know their local patients and their holistic needs. They also have a good understanding of local services & practitioners who can support them in their care.

Key Leads:

Dr Shaine Mehta -Quality Improvement Clinical Lead GP Confederation & Diabetes Lead in City & Hackney

Shanaz Begum – Health & Wellbeing Coach, Shoreditch Trust

Outcomes

  • Although it was challenging to support the team through changes in roles, teams and processes, restructuring has meant managers can better identify specific Neighbourhoods with high demand and can distribute work evenly across the borough to prevent staff burnout.
  • The new Single Point of Access has made it easier for management to collect data from one central place on the nature of their referrals (who they’re coming from and what for) meaning they can better plan the service.
  • Having smaller teams with dedicated budgets works well both for GPs who now have a few local named contacts who they know and can easily contact.
  • Neighbourhood Multi-disciplinary meetings have been great spaces for nurses who cover that patch to get the expert advice they need from other professionals involved in a patient’s care, as well as pulling in specialist advice quickly where necessary.
“Working in Neighbourhoods we’ve noticed the difference that the community navigation roles employed by our local GP networks (known as PCN’s) can make. They allow us to focus on clinical healthcare knowing that another professional such as a social prescriber can take the time to support residents with their social issues.”
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Health & Wellbeing Coach Improves take up of Weight Management Programme at local GP practice

Southgate Road Medical Centre in Shoreditch Park and City Neighbourhood saw the pandemic significantly impact patient’s levels of physical activity and ability to manage their weight. In response the GP Practice aimed to increase the amount of referrals to North East London NHS’s Digital Weight Management programme.

In order to make sure as many referrals as possible were successfully taken up, additional wraparound support for patients was brought in. The GP Practice trialled the use of a local Health & Wellbeing (H&W) Coach to initiate contact with patients at the surgery who had diabetes or hypertension who were identified as being overweight. The intention was that having a professional H&W coach start a conversation about weight management with a target group of known patients, would mean the individuals may feel more informed and confident about accessing weight management support.

Key Leads:

Dr Shaine Mehta -Quality Improvement Clinical Lead GP Confederation & Diabetes Lead in City & Hackney

Shanaz Begum – Health & Wellbeing Coach, Shoreditch Trust

Outcomes

  • The practice has the highest referrals to Digital Weight Management (March 2022) and accounts for 25.9% of all practice referrals from City & Hackney (October 2021).
  • 40% of patients accepted referral to a weight management programme following a consultation with a H&W Coach
  • For patients, being informed that somebody will call them about weight management helps them to feel prepared and gives the coach a better opportunity to spend more time on talking about the programme in-depth if asked.
  • Calling at a time not too early or late in the day and sending a text with a link to the Digital Weight Management Programme information in advance was useful for patients to think about before a call
' It has been rewarding learning that there was a high uptake of the Digital Weight Management service since I called clients. This shows that there is a demand for the service. I enjoyed talking to people about their health and how they would like to make it better. Patients were much more likely to show interest in the programme having had it suggested by a GP or other health professional and being offered a call back. It made them feel prepared to spend some time discussing and asking questions about the programme" - Shanaz Begum - Health & Wellbeing coach, Shoreditch Trust
Get in touch to find out more     Get in Touch  

Neighbourhoods Mental Health Teams

Whole person approach to mental health

Neighbourhoods Mental Health Team was developed to support people who have serious mental health care needs, as well as wider social factors that may be impacting their life. The 8 Neighbourhood teams take a multi-disciplinary and trauma-informed approach, involving a broad range of support and expertise so that they can consider all the health and social care factors and complexities impacting on someone’s mental health.

Outcomes

  • Previously referrals would have come through a central assessment team on a weekly basis. Now each Neighbourhood team looks at their specific area’s referrals and follow up at a daily meeting.
  • The range of groups and activities in each Neighbourhood are specially curated, working with the local voluntary sector. This includes social activities, trauma-informed and psycho-educational groups, and sports.
  • Working on an open access basis means once you are successfully referred you become a ‘member’ of the service and can access support for up to 2 years without having to be re-referred. This means you can quickly get support if your mental health starts to deteriorate.
  • More partnership working is happening between mental health teams and local support services.
"You never rushed me when I spoke to you on the phone and you were always so supportive, kind and understanding. You helped me get into my Tai Chi classes by helping to get my lessons funded. I was able to gain the strength to help my son through his special needs issues and depression also". - Resident
Want to learn more?     Get in touch  

Hackney Playbus in Neighbourhood Forums

Hackney Playbus run stay and play sessions for families with children under five. The charity regularly attends Neighbourhood Conversations in all eight Neighbourhoods to link up with local services and people and learn about new opportunities for them to collaborate with other services to bring families’ support to their doorstep.

Outcomes

  • Neighbourhood conversations have provided a dedicated space to learn about what other activities and events are going on in the Neighbourhoods.
  • Accessing services can be difficult. By linking in with new services at Neighbourhood Conversations and bringing them to the community in the bus makes them more accessible.
  • Grant funding from Neighbourhoods to renovate the bus has improved its exterior and created an even more interactive space for the children.
"The Neighbourhoods programme is about bringing people together. Neighbourhood conversations are great for making connections, it's so good to hear about what work is going on in the local Neighbourhoods we deliver in and see how we can work together!"
Want to learn more?     Get in touch  

Children's Social Prescribing pilot

Accessible services for children and young people

Well Street Common Primary Care Network appointed a Social Prescriber role to support children and young people (age 0-25) and families as a whole to access local services and support.

The experienced Social Prescriber can create personalised action plans for individuals, and has begun working with local schools to better connect them with local health, social care and voluntary sector support, and act as a link between the schools and GPs as necessary. 

Outcomes

  • Families appreciate direct access to support rather than navigating a range of local services alone
  • Some families feel more comfortable accessing this support since the role has no affiliation with social services
  • Families working with the Social Prescriber in the medium term experience increase in self-confidence, motivation and general wellbeing
  • Parents and carers report being listened to, and supported to engage with services including social care where necessary
  • Children and young people are made aware of the local activities available which are relevant to their interests
“The Social Prescriber helped me with a grant application and I am now also going to the gym three times a week. I also found out about local holiday clubs for my children which they love.” - Client
Want to learn more?     Get in touch  

Unity Festival

Bringing communities together after isolation

Working with the local authorities, donations and funding from the Neighbourhoods grant, the Newington Green Alliance in collaboration with Minis Kardes organised the ‘Unity Festival’ to bring their community together after pandemic restrictions eased. 

The festival celebrated the diverse area by hosting music and food from the different cultures in Newington Green, and brought a great sense of community cohesion. 

Outcomes

  • Neighbourhoods funding provided budget towards the stage, and advertising
  • The Neighbourhoods Conversation provided a forum to advertise and collaborate with other organisations and residents
  • The event provided an opportunity to bring local people together in celebration and mourning following the first 18 months of the pandemic
  • New connections have been fostered to support further collaboration and sharing of cultures and resources in the area
"It was a wonderful day. Even the weather participated! I was especially moved to hear local residents say "this really feels like community" and others asking to have the event annually, monthly or even weekly!"
Want to learn more?     Get in touch  

Resident & Community Engagement

How regular Neighbourhood Forums and events in each of our eight Neighbourhoods build better connections.

Resident & Community Engagement

Why resident voices and community building are important to community health and wellbeing.
Connect with your local Neighbourhood

The Neighbourhoods model aims to bring health and care services closer to where people live, and help people take more control over the factors that affect their health and wellbeing. Through regular Neighbourhood Forum meetings and outreach activities in the community, this means that local services and plans will be informed and shaped by the experiences and priorities of local people like you.

Go to the ‘Your Neighbourhood‘ page to find out what Neighbourhood you are in and get details of the next Neighbourhood meeting you can sign up to. Here you can meet local people, organisations, health and public sector workers to discuss local topics and collaborate on what matters to you.

 

Resident Engagement for staff

Healthwatch Hackney run informal resident engagement support surgeries to support local staff who want to work with residents. The surgeries offer practical advice on engagement methods, co-production and budgets. You can book a spot here

Healthwatch Hackney have created a range of ‘Top Tips’ guides on how to have inclusive meetings and events, including advice on making hybrid meetings work, and how to include non-native English speakers in meetings. You can find these resources here.

Neighbourhood Forums - Commonly asked questions

What is the purpose of the meetings?

The Forum meetings bring together residents from a Neighbourhood in Hackney and City of London with local voluntary and community sector organisations, health and care workers involved in services in that area with the purpose of:

  • Sharing information about what’s going on with local health and care support in that Neighbourhood.
  • To chat about what is and isn’t working within local health and care services.
  • To learn about groups who experience health inequalities and work together to improve local services so that everyone has the same good experiences.

What can you expect at a Neighbourhoods Forum Meeting? 

  • A warm and friendly welcome.
  • Information about health and care services in your neighbourhoods and a chance to talk to the people who make those services happen and who use them.
  • The chance to agree priorities and work together to make services better.
  • A chance to share information about any activities or groups you are involved with

Who attends the Neighbourhood Forum Meetings?

A mix of local residents, community and voluntary sector organisations, health and care professionals, councillors or council workers who can advise on council services.

Where do they take place?

In local community hubs or over Zoom. You can find details of the upcoming meetings on the ‘Your Neighbourhood‘ page meeting tab. Or you can contact Zebina on Zebina.myrie@hcvs.org.uk or phone her on 07377-502474 to find the details of the next meeting or be connected with the local facilitator of the meeting to find out more.