Evidence Islington
Find out how Evidence Islington can improve council services through better collection and use of information and ways you can get involved.
Evidence Islington is a partnership between Islington Council, universities, and voluntary and community sector organisations. It is funded by The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The partnership works to improve how we collect, join up, and use information with the aim to reduce health inequalities in the borough.
Collecting and using evidence better can improve our services. This includes things that affect residents’ health and wellbeing like housing, employment, and the environment.
Using our 2023 funding
Islington Council has been awarded a year’s funding for Evidence Islington to develop:
- support for the project across the council and from councillors
- systems for monitoring performance and management
- community involvement
- the usefulness and ethics of linking data and information from across the council.
If the first year is successful, the council will get funding to continue Evidence Islington for five years.
Our partners are Healthwatch Islington, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and University College London, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations - North Thames.
How residents can get involved
A group of residents have joined the Evidence Islington co-design group, which will meet once a month from April to September in 2023. This group will inform how to find and use evidence in meaningful ways. It will also help develop the resident engagement plan for the full five-year project.
From October 2023, if we are successful in getting more funding, residents will have the chance to be involved in Evidence Islington as research ambassadors and/or community researchers.
If you would like to get involved in Evidence Islington from October 2023, please email EI@HealthwatchIslington.co.uk and we will contact you closer to the time with more details.
How council staff and voluntary and community sector (VCS) partners can get involved
Evidence Islington will invite council staff to:
- help shape how the council uses the information it gathers, learning from other successful strategies
- improve the effectiveness of council and VCS programmes
- champion evidence we’ve gathered to inform council and local partner decisions and actions
- participate in surveys and discussions to inform the training and research priorities.
Training and resources for staff and VCS partners
During 2023, we will share consultations and raise awareness with Islington Council staff, councillors and VCS partners to help shape the full five-year Evidence Islington project.
From October 2023, if we are successful in getting more funding, Islington Council staff and VCS partners will be able to benefit from:
- career development opportunities - including free training, mentoring and placements - to support skills and confidence in using evidence and a research focus in everyday practice and decision making
- support and resources to evaluate services, and collect and use data in different ways.
If you want to find out more about Evidence Islington, email: EI@HealthwatchIslington.co.uk.