The story of our year

The year 2014/15 was a significant period in our efforts to transform health and care in Lambeth and Southwark.

We supported hundreds of new ideas and saw many others come to fruition. Plus we ended the year with strong finances and a better understanding of the difference we help make locally.

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We are an independent charitable foundation dedicated to excellence in health and care in Lambeth and Southwark. In 2014/15 we:

134

Awarded 134 grants to innovative ideas like a new online service for 24/7 sexual health support

£28.1m

Provided £28.1m in funding for new ideas that tackle major healthcare challenges

Awarded £9.9m to accelerate the use of imaging for diagnosis and treatment

Saw the new Cancer Centre at Guy's, that we supported, being 'topped out' and on track to deliver world-class cancer care and research from 2016

Helped secure a new 'home away from home' for families of children being treated at Evelina London

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Learned that 56% of our projects have improved people's quality of life, wellbeing or clinical outcomes as we looked back at the initiatives we've supported in recent years

Changed our status

So we are now independent from the Department of Health, gaining more flexibility to meet our goals

Launched the Bright Ideas Fund with Guy's and St Thomas' Trust to boost innovation in the hospitals

Commissioned an expert review to help drive improvements in the local healthcare system

Overview of our year
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Overview
Our assets

Funding and supporting

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We contributed £28.1 million to tackling major health and care challenges in 2014/15

We fund and invest in projects that can make a real difference to people’s health in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.

We partner with others who are also committed to innovating in health and care, from large acute hospitals to grassroots organisations. We award grants, invest in health ventures and support our strategic and historic partner Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to continue driving excellence in healthcare.

We work to a funding cycle of around £100 million over five years and in 2014/15, we contributed a total of £28.1 million in grants and other funding to health and care initiatives. Of this, £17 million was awarded through our Health Innovation Fund – our main funding scheme. This fund supports anyone seeking to transform health and social care, and helps to bring their ideas to life.

Our funding

Our charitable expenditure in 2014/2015

£28146000

Our funding – Charitable expenditure in 2014/15

By receipient partner

£12,553,000
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
£3,154,000
King's College London
£725,000
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
£150,000
King's College Hospital
£11,564,000
Charities and commissioners (includes donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities)

By strategic priority

£15,135,000
System transformation
£713,000
Cancer
£827,000
Public Health
£1,507,000
Research and development
£9,964,000
Capital and other activities (includes donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities)

Our funding in the last three years

Our charitable expenditure since establishing our key strategic priorities in 2012/13

£101899000

Our funding in the last three years – Our charitable expenditure since establishing our key strategic priorities in 2012/13

By receipient partner

£59,843,000
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
£12,954,000
King's College London
£4,994,000
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
£275,000
King's College Hospital
£23,833,000
Charities and commissioners (includes donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities)

By strategic priority

£36,919,000
System transformation
£27,441,000
Cancer
£7,955,000
Public Health
£9,042,000
Research and development
£20,542,000
Capital and other activities (includes donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities)
Our funding Our funding in recent years

Highlights of our charitable expenditure
in 2014/15 include:

We spent £8.2 million to secure a site for a new Ronald McDonald House – a 'home away from home' for the families of being treated at Evelina London Children's hospital.

We continued our support of the TOHETI medical imaging project with an award £9.9 million, our largest of 2014/2015. The project encourages greater use of medical imaging by clinicians, to improve diagnosis and treatment.

We commissioned two pieces of research by independent experts – one helped us to understand better how local people view their health and wellbeing, and the other made suggestions to our partners to drive much needed change across our health and care systems.

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Our funding
Healthcare system

Using our assets

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We manage our assets carefully and invest skilfully, to generate income for our charitable spending, now and for future generations

The careful management of our assets and the generous donations we receive allow us to invest in local health. We need to invest carefully and skilfully to generate funds to support innovation while protecting the real-term value of our endowment for the future.

In 2014/15, our financial investments returned 18.8%, and we won a prestigious award for our innovative approach. Along with a small number of properties we use for charitable purposes, we own a large portfolio of investment properties. We manage these commercially to generate funds and in 2014/15 they added an outstanding £39 million to the value of our endowment.

The new Ronald McDonald House is just one of many projects we have been able to support, thanks to flexible and imaginative management of our property and assets. When it is built in 2016, it will become a new ‘home away from home’ where the families of sick children will be able to stay while their loved ones are being treated at Evelina London Children’s hospital.

The new Ronald McDonald house – Rachael's Story

The Ronald McDonald House at Guy’s Hospital has been a haven for hundreds of families of sick children since 1990. Rachael Todd remembers staying there when her daughter Ruby became ill: "The House team provided us with support and kindness. [They] helped us so much … 


"… We awoke one morning and came down to the kitchen to make lunch for the day and there were some volunteers preparing food. They made us all breakfast followed by a packed lunch for everyone. This kind gesture has never been forgotten. Something so little meant so much to us."

But with space for only 20 families, and a half-hour journey to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, the House needed both relocation and expansion so it could help more families like Ruby’s.

Brian Creamer House, just a short walk from the children’s hospital and used as a university halls of residence, was the ideal candidate. We bought the leasehold from King’s College London, and refurbished some of our own property nearby to house King’s students.


We negotiated with the Church Commissioners to buy some neighbouring land to allow for a larger property, so that we could enable Ronald McDonald House Charities to build a 59 bedroom House. We also brought Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust into the project, with their financial backing proving vital.

Following years of work to secure the best site and essential partnerships, work began on the new £13 million, 59-room Ronald McDonald House in spring 2015, and is expected to be complete in autumn 2016.

"The new Ronald McDonald House is going to be amazing, not only is it on the doorstep of the hospital, it’s also going to be a lot bigger which means they can allow more families to stay ... allowing them to be close to their children in hospital at what can be a very stressful time." Rachael Todd.


The new Ronald McDonald House is going to be amazing, not only is it on the doorstep of the hospital, it's also going to be a lot bigger which means they can allow more families to stay.

Rachael Todd, mum to Ruby who was treated at Evelina London

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Our assets
Innovation

Transforming the healthcare system

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We back efforts to transform the way healthcare is delivered, through partnerships, targeted funding and by provoking innovative thinking

We believe that the healthcare system needs radical, lasting change to meet people’s needs, and we work with organisations and individuals who share our conviction. Our partners span the entire healthcare system, and include GPs, commissioners, third sector organisations, private companies, and the top academic and health institutions that comprise King’s Health Partners.

In 2014/15 we continued to work together to make people’s healthcare experience better and easier. We carried on supporting three major projects:

  1. 1

    Southwark and Lambeth Integrated Care (SLIC), an initiative that brings together GPs, commissioning groups, hospitals, trusts and local people to encourage a joined-up, ‘whole-person’ approach to healthcare.

    More about this project
  2. 2

    The Children and Young People’s Health Partnership started to work on improving the health of children in Southwark and Lambeth through better integration of all levels of healthcare.

    More about this project
  3. 3

    And the Emerging Leaders programme developed 23 GPs and managers across general practice to help drive radical change across community and primary care in Lambeth and Southwark.

    Watch Video

We also commissioned independent experts to review these three major programmes, and to make recommendations on how best to progress the local transformation agenda.

Case Study

Emerging Leaders

In partnership with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Lambeth and Southwark, we have supported 23 GPs and practice managers to develop the skills needed to lead change and introduce new ways to improve care for people locally. Watch the film about the difference the programme has made in Southwark.

The Emerging Leaders are helping us to emerge from a set of ideas to a set of reality on the ground in Southwark and Lambeth which we hope will benefit a strong community, primary and general population health and wellbeing. Without their continuous questioning, steering presence it would never have happened.

SLIC Citizen’s Board Member

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Healthcare system
Guy's and St Thomas'

Supporting innovation

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We support a wide range of new ideas to tackle major health and care challenges

In 2014/15, we continued to support innovation, working alongside clinicians, front-line hospital staff, GPs, entrepreneurs and voluntary organisations. We gave over 100 grants worth £17m through our Health Innovation Fund, and invested in ground-breaking health enterprises like Cydar Ltd, which is pioneering the use of 3D visualisation in X-ray guided surgery.

In addition, we commissioned expert research to identify key health issues and respond to new demands. It examined local people’s attitudes to their own health and wellbeing and the insights we gained are informing our efforts to tackle public health challenges.

Here are key achievements of some of our supported projects during 2014/15:

  • SH:24

    SH:24

    Bringing sexual health online

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    One third of people attending sexual health clinics could potentially self-manage their condition. Fully integrated within existing local NHS services, SH:24 is improving access to sexual health services by offering easy and 24/7 testing for sexually transmitted infections and information. Testing kits are ordered online, the test is carried out at home and posted back and the results are sent confidentially via text message. The service is working to increase the number of people tested for STIs and free up capacity in clinics.

  • Cancer Centre

    Cancer Centre

    Landmark development for cancer care and treatment

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    The new Cancer Centre at Guy’s is a stunning new £160 million development to bring together most of the cancer services and research at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust under one roof. We have contributed with £26.7 million, including funding for a programme of visual and performing arts embedded in the building, and are driving a £15 million public fundraising appeal. The Cancer Centre at Guy’s will open in 2016.

  • Knee High Design Challenge

    Knee High Design Challenge

    Giving children a healthy start in life

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    Supporting creativity to improve the health and wellbeing of children under five and their families, the Knee High Design Challenge is an innovative collaboration with the Design Council, and Lambeth and Southwark Councils. It has involved many local families and service professionals, fostering bold new ideas across the patch and confidence to take them forward. It is now working with three projects – Pop up Oarks, KidsConnect and Creative Homes – to help reduce developmental inequalities amongst children

  • KHP Pathway Project

    KHP Pathway Project

    Better health and care for homeless people

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    Managing the admission and discharge of homeless people to hospital can be challenging. They often have a combination of physical and mental ill health, substance misuse and few or no local ties. Working with healthcare charity Pathway, we’ve introduced a model of care for homeless patients admitted to the NHS trusts within King’s Health Partners (KHP). The KHP Pathway team – which involves GPs, nurses and social workers amongst others – is the largest in the country and the first to also cover a mental health acute hospital.

  • Lambeth Living Well hub

    Lambeth Living Well hub

    Integrated mental health support

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    The Lambeth Living Well Collaborative brings together GPs, social workers, psychiatrists, volunteers and other partners to better integrate mental health services and support. Our award of £1.9 million is helping to scale up the successful ‘hub’ scheme in the north of Lambeth to cover the whole of the borough. The new Lambeth Living Well Hub is an accessible front door to mental health services in the borough, supporting those who need it the most.

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Innovation
Arts in health

Working with Guy’s and St Thomas’

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We have an especially close and far-reaching relationship with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Our ties with Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals go back centuries and remain close and vibrant today. Around half of our funding every year goes directly to support work across Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Evelina London hospitals.

Today, we support all fundraising and administer donations made to the hospitals. We help staff to develop professionally and celebrate their dedication to deliver excellent health and care. And we work closely with the Trust on strategic projects to improve the local system of healthcare, and on initiatives that boost innovation and entrepreneurship within its walls. In 2014/15, the Charity supported the Trust with £12.5 million in grants and other funding.

There are many ways in which we have supported Guy's and St Thomas' Trust in 2014/15:

  • Supporting staff

    We award grants and other support to staff for research or professional development and to support staff wellbeing.
    We also support the Trust’s annual staff awards.

    Around £415,000 contributed in benefits for Trust staff.

    Gave 36 individual awards for professional development.

  • Support for innovation

    Staff who are looking to break new ground in healthcare can apply to us for support and funding through our Health Innovation Fund and other schemes.

    Launched the Bright Ideas Fund in partnership with the Trust, specifically to support staff ideas with commercial potential.

    12 grants – worth £9m – awarded within the
    Trust through our Health Innovation Fund.

  • Donations and fundraising

    We handle all donations to Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Evelina London hospitals and support their fundraising efforts.

    £2.6m in donations and legacies received.

    £3.4m Nearly £3.4 million from special purpose funds went to support work across the hospitals.

  • Transforming local healthcare

    We work in partnership with the Trust to bring radical and lasting change to the local healthcare system for the benefit of people who live, work or are treated here.

    Continued work on long‑term transformational projects including Southwark and Lambeth Integrated Care (SLIC) and TOHETI.

    Topping out of the new, state-of-the-art Cancer Centre at Guy’s.

  • Arts and heritage

    The arts are vital in helping people to stay well, get healthy and enjoy life. We use our large collection to enrich spaces for staff and patients, and we fund innovative arts projects across the Trust.

    £650,000 Confirmed awards of over £650,000 for a ground-breaking arts programme in the Emergency Floor and the renovation of the chapel at St Thomas’ Hospital.

    Continued to support music concerts and other live performances across the hospitals by Breathe Arts Health Research.

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Guy's and St Thomas'
Our impact

Investing in arts in health

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We are committed to supporting arts-based projects with the power to help people to get well, stay healthy and enjoy life

We believe in the power of the arts in health. We invest in creative projects, and 2014/15 has been a standout year for new initiatives, positive results and promising early findings. Our Arts and Health Network has brought together and supported all sorts of professionals, from small grassroots groups to major institutions, sparking interesting ideas and exciting collaborations.

Sites across Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals benefit from our extensive art and heritage collection and new commissions, which we use to make healthcare environments more welcoming.

  • Performing Medicine

    Performing Medicine

    Bringing the art back into medicine

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    In 2014/15, Performing Medicine, a unique arts-based training initiative, joined forces with the Simulation and Interactive Learning Centre (SaIL) at St Thomas’ Hospital. The programme they created aims to help healthcare professionals across King’s Health Partners to manage stress and reconnect with their commitment to good care, kindness and compassion. Embedded at SaIL, Performing Medicine applies methods from the arts to a range of health settings. Its accompanying ‘Art of Healthcare’ programme offers practical workshops for the general public to learn about arts in health and education.

  • Alchemy Project

    Alchemy Project

    Dance in mental health support

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    The Alchemy Project is a co-production between South London and the Maudsley’s Early Intervention Services in Psychosis and award-winning dance company Dance United Yorkshire. The project builds on a successful pilot to continue exploring the healing power of dance. With our funding and support, the project invited a group of young adults living with psychosis, none of whom had any dance experience, and prepared them for a professional-standard dance performance. The results were artistically and medically remarkable, highlighting the benefit of non-medical interventions in mental health.

  • Singing for Better Breathing

    Singing for Better Breathing

    Tackling breathing problems through singing

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    The prestigious Sidney De Haan Centre for Arts in Health at Canterbury Christ Church University focuses on proving the life-changing benefits that singing can bring to people with chronic breathing problems. In 2014­/15 we provided £194,000 for the Centre to start a programme – Singing 4 Better Breathing – in Lambeth and Southwark. The programme has worked with the local NHS to set up free regular choirs for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and their partners and carers, at four venues across the two boroughs.

  • Arts in the Emergency Floor

    Arts in the Emergency Floor

    Reducing violence and educating in A&E

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    As part of our efforts to improve the healthcare environment in local hospitals, we have awarded almost £470,000 to a cutting-edge arts programme at St Thomas’ Hospital. Using tools including wall graphics, film and digital technology, the programme aims to demystify the department, help younger patients to avoid future admissions and build on research by the Design Council to reduce levels of aggression in A&E through better arts and design.

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Arts in health

Understanding our impact

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In 2014/15, we began for the first time to carefully examine the impact of our supported projects to help plan for the future

We made great strides in 2014/15 towards becoming a learning organisation. We now have a clearer idea of the changes we want to see in local health and care. We also have a plan to measure how we are contributing to these improvements.

In 2014/15 we began to examine in depth the results and impact of projects we have supported in recent years. By its nature, the innovative work we fund may not always achieve what it set out to. However, we have learned that almost 70 per cent of the projects we have supported since 2011 have met or exceeded their expected goals and 63 per cent have been sustained in some way after our funding came to an end.

What we are learning is helping to inform our decisions and plans for the future, and supporting our long-term goal of seeing better health outcomes for people in Lambeth and Southwark.

Making a positive difference

We use our assets, resources and skills to support innovation in health and care within a complex and evolving local system.

We believe the work we do with our partners makes an important difference, and in 2014/15 we set out to measure our impact and ability to contribute to positive change.

We started by creating a 'roadmap' – a tool that articulates the changes we want to see in the short, medium and longer-term, including:

 
Roadmap 1

Well-run projects, and partners sharing the same vision for local health and care

2

Better understanding of what does and doesn’t work, and stronger partnerships and networks

3

More efficient and effective healthcare systems and a local culture of learning and innovation

Our roadmap is helping us to measure progress towards our ultimate goal: Contributing to improved health and care for people who live, work and are treated in Lambeth and Southwark.

What we are learning

Once we knew the changes we wanted to see, we set out to learn our starting position in the journey.

We began by reviewing our largest portfolio of grants, the Health Innovation Fund.

In supporting innovation, we are taking risks and things will not always work out as planned. Working with independent experts, we learned that of the largest projects we funded between 2011 and 2015:

Almost
70%

had achieved or exceeded their intended goals

56%

of projects have improved people's quality of life, wellbeing, or clinical outcomes

51%

have improved the experience of patients or staff

43%

of projects showed evidence of having improved partnerships and networks

63%

of those that had come to the end of their grant had been sustained in some way

As our understanding of these measurements deepens, we will set up benchmarks to help us measure progress.

Building on the lessons

Our analysis is helping us gather great insights about ourselves and the projects we support, and we're repeating the exercise in other areas of our work. Although much has been achieved, there is still more to learn and do. For instance, we found that:

Many of our supported projects could do more to evaluate what has and hasn’t worked, and to share these lessons more widely.

What we are learning is helping us to shape our work now and in the future, to make more informed decisions about our funding, and taking us closer to our ultimate goal of improving health and care in Lambeth and Southwark.

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