London Vision

We have a shared ambition to make London the world’s healthiest global city, and the best global city in which to receive health and care services.

We know we need to work together across public services and wider society, both to make the most of opportunities for good health and tackle issues that cause poor health and health inequalities. The London Vision sets out our shared priorities as a partnership and will guide us as we design London-wide and local action together with Londoners.

The Vision represents a major milestone in our partnership. It builds on significant collaborative work over several years through which we have achieved things like a new social movement for better mental health (Thrive LDN), the first London Estates Strategy, and much more. It is the beginning of a conversation about the next phase of this collaborative work, and an important invitation to you – professionals, partner organisations, the community and voluntary sector and members of the public – to discuss and debate it with us.

What is the partnership?

The partnership is made up of The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, UK Health Security Agency, NHS, Integrated Care Systems, Mayor of London and London Councils.

What health challenges does London face?

Like many big cities, London offers a wealth of opportunities for people to lead healthy and happy lives, but it also presents issues and challenges to health. People are living longer but many are living in poor health, and significant health inequalities persist. No one’s health should suffer because of who they are or where they live.

Infographic which says: 2 millions Londoners experience mental ill health every year. 400,000 children under 18 live in areas that exceed legal limits for air pollution. 12 Londoners die each week from suicide. Smoking remains London's leading cause of premature death, killing 8,000 people per year. 200,000 offences of violence including 120 homicides were recorded in London in the 12 months to March 2019. The number of rough sleepers in London has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Despite considerable progress, HIV is twice as common in London as it is in England. Almost 40% of children in Year 6 are overweight or obese. 2 times more people with dementia stay in hospital twice as long as other older people.

What health challenges does London face?

We cannot rely only on treating people when they become ill. We need a shift in emphasis and resources towards understanding and preventing the root causes of ill-health and tackling health inequalities. This means thinking about the places where people are born, live, work and age; how we value diversity and difference in our communities; and the roles that friends, families and communities play.

We are taking a life course approach, which means we are looking at what support people need to be well throughout their lives – to start well, live well and age well. The city as a human-made environment provides a unique opportunity to shape our own future by designing and building places that enable all Londoners to thrive throughout their lives.

To achieve this, we have developed new, joined-up approaches to health and care, including shared decision-making and joint service provision. We will also work
together to:

In the face of significant funding pressures in local government, and increasing demographic challenges, we are coming together to find new ways of working that
make best use of our resources.

What are our areas of focus?

We recognise that no single organisation can achieve this alone, and that shared action makes us greater. We have identified 14 areas of focus where we believe partnership action is needed at a pan-London level.

A graphic with the following information about the key areas of focus: Theme 1: Make London a safe place to live now and in the future 1. Improve air quality 2. Reduce the prevalence and impact of violence Theme 2: Improve the health and wellbeing of children and young Londoners 1. Improve the emotional wellbeing of children and young Londoners 2. Reduce childhood obesity Theme 3: Supporting all Londoners to live healthy lives 1. Improve tobacco control and reduce smoking 2. Improve the health of homeless people 3. Support Londoners with dementia to live well 4. Supporting London’s migrant population Theme 4: Provide targeted support to those in most need 1. Improve tobacco control and reduce smoking 2. Improve the health of homeless people 3. Support Londoners with dementia to live well 4. Supporting London’s migrant population Theme 5: Tackling the structural determinants of health 1. Poverty and financial security 2. London’s housing and health, access to accommodation 3. Tackling structural racism

How to find out more

Case studies

If you want to know more about some of the work taking place as part of the London Vision please read the case studies linked here:

London Tobacco Alliance case study
London Air Quality and Health Programme Office