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North London Forensic Collaborative

North London Forensic Collaborative

We are responsible for the commissioning and delivery of low and medium-inpatient and community adult secure services from NHS England for the population of North London.

NLFC has delegated responsibility from NHS England and Improvement to lead on the planning, strategy, quality assurance and improvement of forensic mental health services for people within the same population footprint.  

Logo of the North London Forensic Collaborative

There are currently 700 low and medium-secure inpatient beds across our provider collaborative, and provision for community forensic service users provided by three Specialist Community Forensic Teams (SCFT)’s, each aligned to one of the Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in North London.

The NLFC Partnership Board is overseen by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) as the lead contract holder. The Partnership Board is responsible for advising and supporting the NLFC to achieve its strategic aims and ensure joint ownership and alignment of the objectives between the organisations that the members represent and the NLFC.  At the heart of our work, is a joint commitment to improving forensic mental health services for patients, families, carers and staff.

The NLFC membership includes:

  • Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH)

  • Central North-West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL)

  • East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT)

  • North-East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)

  • West London NHS Trust (WLT)

The Trusts work together with one Independent Provider:

  • The Priory Hospital Enfield


Our Purpose
To work together as a system, to deliver high-quality care and improve the outcomes and experiences of the people who use specialised forensic mental health services, their families and carers.

Our Vision
To continuously improve patient outcomes and enhance patient experience, alongside that of their carers’ and our staff, by working as a fully integrated, holistic system and making best use of our combined resources.

Our Aim
To ensure that people who use forensic services experience high-quality care, when inpatient care is clinically appropriate and that care is delivered as close to home as possible, connected to their local community and enables people to leave hospital when they are ready.  The NLFC will work to reduce the cost and/or volume of inpatient activity and redistribute this expenditure to enhance the range, choice and quality of forensic services.

Our Plan
All providers Trusts within the NLFC will work in partnership to re-invest savings from reduced inpatient and out-of-area placements into community forensic services.  This investment in community provision will improve the quality of care provided in community services, this will in turn reduce unnecessary in-patient forensic admission and enable people to leave hospital when they are ready.  This will improve patient experience, reduce waiting times, improve length of stay, lower occupancy levels and provide equal access to provision for all people who need access to forensic services across the provider collaborative. 

For more information about NLFC visit: North London Forensic Collaborative | North London Mental Health Partnership

Social Care Responsibilities for Section 117 Aftercare

North London Forensic Collaborative took part in a deep dive case study for NHS Providers.

The case study gives an overview of NLFC, our governance and leadership, our lived experience and co-production model as well as highlighting the positive impact and change we are collectively making.

Our case study can be found on the NHS Providers website. 

North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) grant funding has supported various Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations across North London.
As part of its ambition to tackle inequalities and improve quality outcomes for forensic service users, NLFC offered a small grant programme for VCFSEs to design and deliver projects that focus on meaningful activities aimed at improving health and wellbeing, learning new skills or helping people feel more connected to the communities they live in.

Bread and Butter CIC is a social enterprise that teaches the basic life-skills of cooking and sustainable healthy independent living in the boroughs of Barnet and Enfield and was one of the first organisations to be awarded a NLFC grant.

Bread and Butter used their grant to deliver a weekly two-hour cooking class over 8 weeks, for 7 service users accessing forensic services in North Central London

The aim of the classes was to improve overall wellbeing by being fully inclusive, connecting people through the medium of food, reducing social isolation, upskilling and increasing confidence. These classes focused on 'cooking on a budget,’ and participants helped shape the course according to their needs and desires, which encouraged a sense of ownership.

Through the simple act of preparing food with tutor support and sitting around a table to eat cooked dishes together, this cookery course delivered improved health and wellbeing and positive behaviour change outcomes for participants including:

  • A greater sense of motivation and confidence to repeat the cooking of new recipes at home  

  • A new learning experience, gaining cooking skills in a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment

  • An ability to make better, more informed lifestyle choices

  • A preference to cook new recipes knowing they are healthier alternatives to some of their current repertoire  

  • A feeling of being less stressed, less lonely and happier for engaging in a regular activity 

  • A greater connection within their local community and opportunity to meet new people and make friends

Bread and Butter gained weekly feedback from participants to evaluate the appropriateness of the recipes and was able to adapt sessions according to the class needs and preferences.

Filomena Komodromou, Founder of Bread and Butter CIC, said: "We really enjoyed delivering these cooking sessions, it was great to see how the participants  confidence improved week by week. Participants were encouraged to suggest recipes or cuisines they would like to learn how to cook the following week, from these suggestions we had jerk chicken, sausages and mash and onion gravy, prawn pil pil, fried plantain, caesar salad and more." 

“NLFC Community Connectors visited Bread and Butter at the end of the project to speak with service users about their experiences of the project. Community Connectors are Experts by Experience who represent the specialist community forensic teams that operate in North, West and East London and play an important role in supporting the Commissioning Hub plan and delivering the VCFSE Grant Programme.

Service users shared their experiences of the cooking classes:

“I most enjoyed the cooking, meeting new people and socialising.”

“It has had a positive impact on my life, I have attended nearly all the weeks on the course.”

“We learnt new cooking skills, trying new, different recipes each week.”

“It helps gain confidence in making meals from scratch.”

“Will miss being together as a group, working together, the eight weeks has passed quickly.”

“There should be more projects like this in the community.”

Collage of food.

Community Connectors gave their feedback on the project and said:
“It was good to see other service users transitioning back into the community, on the discharge pathway and gaining confidence.”

“The project helps to break down a barrier in feeling comfortable to socialise with others.”

“It was helpful to see what is on offer for service users in the community and it’s a very valuable service, in teaching cooking skills for re-integrating back into the community.”

NLFC recognises the incredible contribution that small voluntary, community and faith groups already make in response to health inequalities across the three Integrated Care Systems in North East London, North West London and North Central London.  Through the provision of our small grants programme, we encourage initiatives that support our forensic population that may be marginalised as a result of their mental health and criminal record, to enable them to be more integrated into the communities that they live in.

To find out about our NLFC VCFSE grant programme visit:
Working with VCFSEs | North London Mental Health Partnership

For more information on the work of North London Forensic Collaborative
Contact: Sarah Avery, Marketing and Communications Lead, Email sarah.avery4@nhs.net.
Visit: North London Forensic Collaborative | North London Mental Health Partnership.

Through the provision of our small grants programme, we encourage initiatives that support our forensic population that may be marginalised as a result of their mental health and criminal record, to enable them to be more integrated into the communities that they live in.

Pop Arts delivers transformative one-to-one music mentoring sessions with a music producer. This engaging creative music programme prioritises aims to enhance the mental health and well-being of participants, who often have limited language skills or experience high anxiety levels.

Using their grant, Pop Arts delivered two-hour long bespoke one-to-one music mentoring sessions, for six people, providing 12 hours of studio time for each participant with their music producer.

Laptop on a desk surrounded by speaker equipment.

One participant said: “Music is a really important part of my recovery journey, a journey I started whilst an inpatient and where I was introduced to music production, so it’s been great to have the opportunity to develop this further and help me develop further as a rap artist.”

Participants maintained weekly blogs, enabling self-reflection on progress, successes, and feelings, which helped Pop Arts capture real-time feedback on the sessions.

One of NLFC’s Community Connectors, who has lived experience of using forensic services visited Pop Arts as part of our grants evaluation process and told us: “We should fund more projects like this, they give service users an outlet to express themselves which wouldn’t usually be affordable or accessible.”

Laptop on a desk surrounded by speaker equipment.

Adam King, Pop Arts Producer and Project Lead said: “The most valuable aspect of the programme was witnessing the tangible improvement in participants’ wellness and confidence. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue evolving our services to better meet the needs of our participants.”

“The success stories from the programme revealed a broader demand for services beyond their immediate borough and prompted Pop Arts to explore opportunities for enhancing their offerings, such as forming partnerships and collaborations with larger organisations to broaden their service impact. The programme not only affirmed the value of our approach but also provided us with valuable insights for future growth and service development.”

Pop Arts logo

To find out about our NLFC VCFSE grant programme or apply for a grant visit:
Working with VCFSEs | North London Mental Health Partnership

Contact: Sarah Avery, Marketing and Communications Lead, Email sarah.avery4@nhs.net
Visit: North London Forensic Collaborative | North London Mental Health Partnership