King's College London

The Better Health & Care Hub hosted its first summit on 10 September 2025 at London’s Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, bringing together researchers, health and social care professionals, policymakers and community partners to explore sustainable approaches to complex care.

Fit for the Future: from ideas to action

A key focus of the day was how the Hub themes of careforce, communities and frugal innovation can support delivery of NHS England’s 10-Year Health Plan: Fit for the Future.

Presentations on supporting family carers, tackling inequalities and developing home diagnostics for children with complex needs sparked lively table discussions on the role of education, research and the Hub in driving change.

Participants highlighted the need to reshape training to better prepare professionals for community and home-based care, with more support to transfer skills beyond hospital settings. They also pointed to the importance of generating evidence on the wider determinants of health, such as housing and employment, that shape people’s outcomes.

Discussions explored how the 10-Year Plan’s ambitions – moving from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention – could be achieved while keeping patients at the centre. Global learning was highlighted as a way forward, particularly lessons from Brazil’s community health models and integrated care approaches overseas.

Delegates agreed that adapting global models, alongside a focus on local communities, can build trust and ensure that new interventions reach the people who need them most. The Hub was seen as a vital bridge linking communities, funders and policymakers, helping evidence move quickly into action.

Careforce in conversation

A highlight of the programme was Careforce in conversation, a panel chaired by Charles Alexander CBE, Chairman of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust. The discussion explored how the careforce (professional and informal carers, volunteers and those managing self-care) can be better recognised and supported.

Professor Annette Boaz, King’s College London, described the careforce as something already embedded in the system, but often overlooked, adding: “This is about a shift in our mindset about who we see as the people who provide care.” She emphasised the importance of recognising not only clinicians, but also the cleaners, reception staff, volunteers and family members who all play a vital role in recovery.

The discussion turned to opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, with panellist Neil Kennett-Brown, NHS South East London Integrated Care Board, highlighting the importance of integration: “Shared ambitions and outcomes matter, but the real change comes when we integrate our workforce – putting the person at the centre, with health and social care budgets working together.” He pointed to neighbourhood models as a way to break down silos and address wider issues, such as housing, that directly affect people’s health.

The panel also called for better support for the whole careforce through flexible training routes, digital skills and greater recognition for underappreciated roles.

Insights from the summit will inform a forthcoming Careforce policy pamphlet, being developed alongside the Policy Institute at King’s, and will support the Hub’s commitment to practical solutions that improve the quality, equality and value of health and care worldwide.

Professor Higginson reflected: "The summit showed the real power of engagement – when researchers, professionals, policymakers and communities come together, ideas move quickly towards action."