Provider Collaboratives are partnerships that bring together two or more NHS Trusts (public providers of NHS services including hospitals and mental health services) to work together at scale to benefit their populations.

North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) is the largest specialist NHS mental health provider collaborative in England and represents a partnership between specialist forensic services within five NHS Trusts and two independent mental health providers. 

We are responsible for the commissioning and delivery of low and medium male and female secure inpatient services, male secure inpatient care for those with a learning disability and autistic people, in addition to the commissioning and delivery of community forensic services.

Across the provider collaborative, there are approximately 700 low and medium secure and specialist learning disability and autism beds. NLFC also operates Specialist Community Forensic Teams and Community Forensic Learning Disability Teams covering all North London local authorities within the three integrated care systems in North London.

At the heart of our work, is a joint commitment to improving forensic mental health services in collaboration with patients, families, carers and staff. We achieve this through close working with our partners and their existing people participation forums, NLFC Patient Council and Peer Engagement Workers, and through developing closer links with the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector.

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (working with Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust as The North London Mental Health Partnership)  is the lead provider of North London Forensic Collaborative and has delegated responsibility from NHS England and Improvement to lead on the strategy, finance, quality assurance and improvement of forensic mental health services for people who originate from North London. These services are provided by the Commissioning Hub Team which is a blend of clinical and non-clinical staff from the Trust provider organisations.

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 two Independent Providers:

  • The Priory Hospital Enfield

The Commissioning Hub team facilitates the collaborative governance structure. This includes a Partnership Board, led by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust as the lead contract holder, which is comprised of executive representatives from each of the five providers and representatives from each of the three  ICBs. The Partnership Board is responsible for supporting NLFC to achieve its strategic aims, whilst ensuring joint ownership and alignment of its objectives between the individual provider Trusts.

The Board is supported by three sub-groups:

  • Clinical and Quality Development Group - comprised of the clinical directors from each provider trust. This focuses on quality improvements and service developments and has oversight of seven clinical networks.
  • Finance and Contract Group – provides stewardship of the population-based budget and ensures compliance with provider standing financial instructions.
  • Patient Council - consists of inpatients from adult secure services in each of the five provider trusts who represent the voices of service users, and are supported to work with staff to co-design service improvements and increase their skills and confidence by achieving change. 

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.

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. 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.

There are four strategic priorities for NLFC:

  • Ensure services meet the needs of the North London forensic population
  • Reduce reliance on inpatient services and invest in community-based models of care
  • Identify and address inequalities in access, experience and outcomes
  • Develop the NLFC governance structure devolving greater responsibility to staff, patients and carers

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For more information about NLFC visit the North London Forensic Collaborative website