Our strategy to 2030: from insight to impact

It was a real pleasure to see so many people at our annual reception last week. With sunshine, a fantastic turnout and an inspiring guest speaker, the evening marked not just a celebration but the launch of our new 5-year strategy.

The event followed closely on the heels of our latest analysis, which highlighted a worrying trend: healthy life expectancy in the UK is declining and getting worse relative to other developed nations.

When you look at the map of healthy life expectancy, it mirrors the geography of our economy. The conclusion is stark but familiar: deep, structural economic inequalities – particularly between regions – are driving profound health inequalities.

We know this. You know this. The real question is what we can do about it.

To answer that, we must begin with people’s lived experiences of these inequalities. Our guest speaker, the author and social commentator Darren McGarvey, brought this to life powerfully, sharing his journey from growing up in Glasgow to standing in the room with us that evening. His reflections reminded us that poverty shapes lives in lasting ways – but so can wealth. Both can create distance, erode shared understanding and make collective solutions harder to reach.

So, what is our strategy through to 2030?

Our mission is simple: to build a healthier UK. We are guided by two overarching priorities. 

First, improving health care while reducing inequalities, especially in light of current trends. Second, ensuring the care we all rely on remains sustainable in an increasingly challenging economic climate.

As an independent foundation, we occupy a unique space between the public and private sectors. We don’t deliver services, nor are we driven by profit. This allows us to take a longer term view – to act as a patient investor, a catalyst for change and a trusted, independent convener. We can take risks others can’t and bring people together to find solutions grounded in evidence rather than ideology.

Over the next 5 years, our work will focus on doing four things:

• generating high-quality research and analysis on the big issues facing health and care
• testing practical solutions through on-the-ground programmes and evaluating new technology
• bringing people together through our events, engagement and partnerships
• building the networks and long-term capability needed to transform health and care in the UK

You’ll see us shift towards identifying solutions, not just diagnosing problems. We’ll rebalance our work towards improving health and reducing inequalities, strengthen our emphasis on testing and evaluating new technology, particularly AI, and step up our convening work.

So, what does this look like in practice?

To improve health, we’ll support cross-government action, work with mayors and regional leaders and partner with employers to promote a healthier working-age population. Prevention will remain central to our efforts.

We’re also contributing to two major national reviews: one focused on young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and another examining mental health trends and their underlying causes.

We will launch a new independent panel that will track progress, assess policies and propose practical solutions to improve the nation’s health. We’ll also continue to fund Health Equals, a growing coalition of over 100 organisations campaigning for progress on health inequalities.

On the health care side, we share people’s widespread concern about the long-term sustainability of the NHS amid rising demand and uncertain economic growth. That's why we’re increasing our focus on technology and AI – particularly on developing faster, more cost-effective ways to evaluate new innovations. We’re also proud to support the National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, working alongside the MHRA as a research partner.

Alongside this, we will continue to evaluate major health and social care reforms, drawing on our international partnerships – from European and US fellowship programmes to collaborations with global organisations.

Looking ahead, expect a significant new programme of work on the future of the NHS under economic pressure, as well as the findings of our NHS Productivity Commission.

Alongside our new strategy, we are making changes internally and will be recruiting to a number of roles over the coming months. There have also been some changes to our senior team, with the recent appointment of Daniel Law as Director of Analysis and Nick Bateson, currently our Chief Operating Officer, as Managing Director. And, after 18 years of outstanding work at the Foundation, our valued colleague and Director of Health, Jo Bibby is leaving us at the end of the month. We are currently recruiting her successor. 

I hope this is a helpful overview of the changes we are making at the Foundation. If they spark your interest, there are many ways to get involved this year – through events, summits and ongoing discussions. Most importantly, progress will depend on mobilising talent and ideas from across the country.

Join us in that effort.