Action Plan

South London Listens is a unique partnership programme. It is built on the contributions of over 10,000 people across south London since 2020.

The programme kicked off as an urgent response to help prevent a mental ill-health crisis as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through listening and taking action, we have developed a new way of working – using the power of community organising to tackle the biggest barriers to good mental health and wellbeing across south London.

From our first listening campaign with 6000 people during the Covid-pandemic, we launched our 2021-2023 Action Plan – produced with support from statutory, voluntary and community organisations. And in October 2022, communities and South London Listens partners came together to celebrate success and renew commitments to action in delivering on our plan.

Building on the work achieved to-date, in the Summer of 2023 we launched a new phase of listening called ‘Going Deeper’. We heard from over 4000 people and worked in partnership to refine our priorities, surface new issues and explore solutions. The result was a powerful commitment from NHS and Local Authorities and a set of co-developed pledges to drive our programme forward.

To everyone involved in South London Listens so far, thank you.

What you have told us has shaped our four priorities.

  • Loneliness, social isolation and digital exclusion

  • Work and wages

  • Children, young people and parental mental health

  • Access to mental health services

Recovering together – next steps

Covid-19 brought us challenges. But through South London Listens it has also led to unique new relationships and partnerships between communities, organisations, and institutions. This work so far is just the start. Through this programme, we’re committed to continuing to listen and take action together to build a path to mental health recovery.

This is how.

We will attend accountability assemblies.

We committed to attend two accountability assemblies hosted by community leaders through the duration of the programme. The first was in October 2022 to review progress against our pledges, share good practice and celebrate our progress together. Read about our first Accountability Assembly.

The second is in November 2023.

We will put community leaders at the heart of the programme governance

Community leaders will be at the centre of our work to deliver this action plan, including being part of the governance and decision-making structures of the programme.

Overseeing the programme and measuring success

The Taskforce formally reports into the South West and South East London Integrated Care Systems. A new high-level advisory board has also been set up to provide strategic advice and expert input through roundtable events held at key moments through the two-year programme to drive forward the prevention agenda. This will be chaired by Ann Beasley CBE, Sir Norman Lamb and Rev Canon Dr Rosemarie Mallett and the membership includes NHS trust chief executives, clinical and strategy leads in south London, council leaders and councillors, and community leaders.

On a day-to-day basis, the project will be managed and co-ordinated by a small programme team. They will oversee work with all programme partners including local authorities, statutory and community organisations, supporting the concrete implementation of the action plan.

The project is supported by our strategic partner Citizens UK, who have been commissioned to support delivering the programme over the next two years.

Ranjeet Kaile, Director of Communications, Stakeholder Engagement and Public Affairs at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, is the Senior Responsible Officer for South London Listens.

Impact and evaluation

The programme’s impact will be measured against its three key strategic aims:

  1. Building and growing relationships, trust and sharing power.

  2. Using community listening and organising to develop, test and scale up innovations and interventions.

  3. Addressing the social and economic injustices that are exacerbating mental ill health in South London.

Using a ‘theory of change’ approach, we will set out success measures relating to our individual projects and the programme as a whole. Progress will be monitored by the community through two Accountability Assemblies throughout the programme. Reflection, learning and evaluation are being built in throughout this programme to ensure the work continuously improves and can support developments across

NHS trusts and wider national and international prevention initiatives.

We extend our thanks to NHS Charities Together for their generous funding for this programme.