Health Connectors
Supporting neighbourhood-led health and wellbeing in Barking and Dagenham
Health Connectors will help make neighbourhood health more connected, collaborative and community-led.
Led through BD Collective, the initiative brings together local VCFSE organisations, residents, Neighbourhood Networks and Integrated Neighbourhood Teams to respond to the health and wellbeing priorities that matter in each part of Barking and Dagenham.
The aim is to help residents, community organisations and public services work together more effectively, so local knowledge, lived experience and professional expertise can shape healthier communities.
How it works
Health Connectors act as a bridge between the wider VCFSE sector, residents and public sector partners.
Their role is not to represent one organisation, but to help build relationships across a neighbourhood. They connect local community groups with Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, share insight from Neighbourhood Networks, and support test-and-learn activity around specific health and care challenges.
Each neighbourhood will have two Health Connectors, working across the borough’s north, south, east and west areas.
Together, they help:
- strengthen VCFSE networks in each neighbourhood
- bring community insight into health and care conversations
- connect residents, community groups and public services
- support practical test-and-learn projects
- make sure solutions are shaped by real-life experiences
- build trust between organisations, services and residents
Why it’s important
Health and wellbeing are shaped by much more than clinical services. They are affected by housing, relationships, confidence, money, access to support, local spaces and people’s sense of belonging.
Many residents of Barking and Dagenham live with significant challenges: 46% of children live in poverty; 28,200 of economically inactive residents aged 16 and over have never worked the borough has the second highest proportion of households in England and Wales living in a property without enough bedrooms (17.8%). These experiences translate to a high demand for health support.
By bringing the right people together, Health Connectors help local partners move from discussion to action. Residents bring lived experience, community organisations bring relationships and local knowledge, and services bring resources and expertise.
This creates a more joined-up way of working, where neighbourhoods are not just consulted, but actively involved in shaping solutions.
What we’re learning
With Care City as a learning partner, The Health Connector model will help BD Collective and partners learn what it takes to make neighbourhood health work in practice.
We’ll update you as the learning begins to emerge from this innovative collaboration.
What’s next?
Health Connectors will build relationships between VCFSE organisations, residents and public sector partners across Barking and Dagenham. They will focus on strengthening neighbourhood networks, supporting Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and testing practical responses to local health and wellbeing challenges.
By learning together and involving the people who live in each neighbourhood, Health Connectors are helping to build a stronger foundation for community-led health in Barking and Dagenham.
How does it all connect?
See the slide deck below to learn how BD Collective Health Connectors, Neighbourhood Networks and Integrated Networks Teams interact.