Exploring our futures

A collaborative venture for Lambeth and Southwark.

The Charity believes that now is the right time to start thinking about the challenges that the local health and social care system will face in the longer term.

The NHS is dealing with unprecedented financial challenges alongside continuing demands for more and better services. Radical change is required to meet these challenges, and it is crucial to ensure that a long terms view is taken, so that meeting today's challenges also prepares us for meeting those of tomorrow. Building a shared understanding of the future should also help local partners to work more collaboratively together, and will help the Charity to identify the new ideas and innovations that will enable Lambeth and Southwark to be one of the best health and social care systems in the UK.

The Charity has brought together a range of partners in the local healthcare system to design and steer this futures project. A team of national experts will deliver it, led by the King's Fund, and supported by idenk and RAND Europe.

The project will aim to involve as many people in Lambeth and Southwark as possible: the public, patients, health professionals, Chairs and Chief Executives will all be engaged in a series of interactive events to discuss and reflect on future challenges. These events, along with an underpinning analysis of local data, will help to explore the different possible futures for the local health and social care system up to 2030, and will build a resource that local partners can use over the coming years to develop their own individual strategies.

The 'exploring our futures' project will run from January to summer 2012, and more details will be available on this website soon, including information on how to get involved.