Collaboration is key to unlock the potential of the NHS 10 year plan

This piece first appeared in the Health Service Journal, on 4 July 2025: The NHS must work with charities if it wants to succeed – Health Service Journal

A decade of preventable deaths shows why only bold, cross-sector collaboration can build a healthier, fairer England.

One million people in England died prematurely in the past decade because of health inequalities. That is the scale of the disparity crisis we face in health outcomes, and it is getting worse.

Last year, the government announced the development of a new 10-Year Health Plan for England, with a public consultation titled “Change NHS”. Change is certainly needed. Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting’s focus on preventing people needing to go to the hospital is a step in the right direction and one that deserves a lot of credit, if it can be achieved.

But our NHS is under unprecedented pressure with demand for services rising, and there is a backlog of 7.42 million appointments.

For any focus on prevention to be successful, the government must work across departments and sectors to tackle the factors that make people sick, long before they reach NHS waiting lists. It would not always be quick, and it would not always be easy, but it matters. This is a matter of justice. Tackling avoidable illnesses can reduce health inequity.

But it also matters for the government’s bottom line. Effective solutions can lead, not just to better treatment, but to healthier working lives for people and economic outcomes for a Treasury under pressure.

No organisation can create a healthy society on its own

No one sector, from charities to business, philanthropy and government, can fulfil the mission for better health alone. As one of the largest health foundations in the UK, at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, we also cannot do it alone. From my time at the Gates Foundation, I have seen what is possible with global and serious ambition, but even with an annual budget of £7.76bn a year, it cannot be done alone.

The NHS, with £200bn a year, cannot do it either. This is because the roots of our health sit outside the health system. They are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the homes we live in and the jobs we do. It is in society and the economy. That is bigger than any one organisation, one sector, one government department. But better is possible when systems work together.

Our work with Impact on Urban Health builds community capacity to tackle health inequity, across issues such as housing and air pollution. Partnerships and collaboration are essential to our work. Air quality is a clear example. It matters in every community, especially in our cities. Poor air quality contributes towards up to 43,000 deaths a year in the UK, which makes advocacy for clean air essential. Action at both the local and national government levels can have a positive impact.

For example, data from the mayor of London shows that London’s expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone is helping people across the capital to breathe cleaner air. Our research on wood burning, carried out in partnership with Global Action Plan, supported London boroughs to reduce domestic burning and improve air quality and health.

This is a positive step that we know works, albeit one that the government has ignored in its plans to allow wood-burning stoves, a major source of air pollution, in new homes.

Elsewhere, we see the power of bringing together leading clinicians and scientists to tackle health inequity. As part of the SC1 life sciences district, we are harnessing the expertise of a world-renowned university, NHS hospitals, local government and communities to deliver health innovation. This ecosystem is leading the way in data-driven care.

Using AI can provide faster and fairer care to patients, from diabetes to cancer care. Our work as a foundation to build new life science spaces for this innovation simultaneously provides local people with good jobs, improved public spaces, and better health as a result. Working together in this way is a win-win for clinical progress and a healthier population far beyond those who receive treatment; it is building healthier, more resilient communities.

Collaboration is key to solving many of the complex problems we face

These are just two examples of the power of working together; there are many more across our communities and the country. The government was right when it said it needed to bring together people, partners and perspectives from outside to achieve its missions for government. The mission to build an NHS fit for the future can only be achieved by seeing this as a shared goal. The NHS cannot deliver on all of this alone, but together with local communities and organisations, we can.

Collaboration is key to solving many of the complex problems we face, in and out of our hospitals, and the government cannot miss this opportunity. For the NHS plan to have maximum impact, the government must engage communities and partners to incorporate what works and roll out scalable innovations. On planning and implementation, it needs to involve cross-sector players to help design health plans that address specific local needs. There are already solutions out there.

We cannot just ask the NHS to do more. But we do ask the government to be more joined up – and therefore get more bang for the spending it puts into all areas of government. The 10-Year Health Plan must have collaboration at its heart, to tackle the root causes of what makes us sick, and use cross-sector partnerships, so we can create a healthier nation, together.

Collaboration is not an optional extra; it is how we achieve success. We stand ready to play our part.