Care City is a centre for healthy ageing innovation, research, and education. It is based in Barking and works across the four boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest, with reach into Essex and surrounding areas through provision networks. Why Care City? The way we currently deliver health and social care is unsustainable. Demographic pressures, the changing burd
en of disease and rising patient and public expectations are driving the need to cut costs, integrate and innovate. Care City was set up and is funded by NELFT and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and today brings together health, social care, and third sector partners from across the system with researchers, education providers, technology experts, small and medium sized companies and social entrepreneurs to develop health and social care delivery and workforce models for the future. Care City has two focus areas:
1. Healthy ageing Frail older populations are a growing proportion of our society, with complex and multiple needs, and group for whom the whole system of care interacts. Havering has the distinction of being London’s oldest population and has the highest proportion of the oldest old.
2. Social regeneration With the highest rates of unemployment in Barking and Dagenham (10%) and the lowest levels of life expectancy in London (77 men, 82 women), and known interrelationships between society, employment and health, we want to ensure our programme of work brings investment and opportunity to regenerate our deprived population. Care City Vision
To deliver measurable improvements in healthy ageing for our local population and to act as a catalyst for regenerating one of London’s most deprived regions. Central to our vision is a commitment to work in partnership with the local community – so that their specific needs drive the programme of work. Underpinning the vision are three strategic priorities:
1. Innovation To stimulate continuous improvement and innovation across the local health and social care system.
2. Research To advance the application of cutting-edge research into practice by bringing research to local people, and facilitating new models of research.
3. Education To increase resilience across the system’s workforce by inspiring new entrants, facilitating life-long learning and generating future leaders. What will success look like? The local population will have access to research and novel solutions that will collectively support improvements in their own health and the context they live in. Staff will be able to contribute to cutting edge innovation, education and research, and participate in cross-boundary initiatives. Innovators, social entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises, will be able to rapidly test and implement innovations in real-life settings, and iterate and adjust their solutions based on evaluation to maximise impact. The UK, will benefit from dissemination of tested solutions, whilst also bringing in new forms of investment and partnerships with industry.
