Supporting people across North East London to live happier, healthier lives
We’re Care City — a community-focused innovation centre in Barking. We explore new ways to improve health and social care locally and help share what works with other places.
Who we are & what we do
Care City is a not-for-profit organisation working to support healthier, happier lives by improving how health and care are designed and delivered. Founded in 2013 by the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and North East London Foundation Trust, we’re now an independent social enterprise rooted in Barking, with work stretching across North East London and beyond.
We bring together local people, health and care staff, researchers, and partners to design, test and share practical solutions that work in the real world. Our team blends expertise in community engagement, service design, research, digital tools, workforce development, and system change. We collaborate across the NHS, local government, academia and the voluntary sector — always working honestly, sharing what works (and what doesn’t), and helping others adapt successful ideas to their own communities.
“We pursue our mission by working as an innovation partner to North East London’s health and care system. Our focus is people, not profit”
Matt Skinner, CEO, Care City
How we make change happen
We develop and spread practical solutions that tackle real-world challenges — helping people live healthier lives, supporting staff, and delivering better value for our health and care system. Our work focuses on healthy ageing and community regeneration, in partnership with North East London’s health and care system. We do this through a mix of:
Research
Spotting emerging challenges, using data to shape better services, and contributing to national learning.
Innovation
Testing ideas in real settings, implementing new care tools & pathways & learning what really works.
Workforce Development
Designing and trialling new roles and skills, helping local people start careers in care, and supporting change within organisations.
These areas often overlap in practice — and that’s where the real impact happens. We combine these approaches, working closely with partners to build change that lasts.
