Cardiovascular disease, or heart and circulatory disease (including stroke), is the commonest cause of death in our population and across the UK. It is the leading cause of avoidable mortality in our most deprived communities, and it is highly preventable. Through better detection, personalisation of therapies and management of risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol we can save lives.

Within our partnership we have the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science and the Queen Mary William Harvey Research Institute, two world-leading cardio-centres of excellence. We also have the Barts Heart Centre, which is one of the largest specialist cardiovascular treatment centres in Europe. In this next phase we will be focusing on the rapid development and deployment of novel approaches to reduce cardiovascular risk through prediction, prevention, early therapy, public engagement and self-management.

Mental health concerns among young people are on the rise and many young people are living in difficulty. An estimated 75% of all mental health problems are diagnosed by the age of 25 with those living in more deprived areas more likely to experience mental health problems.

Our partnership contains strong clinical and academic mental health expertise. There are six mental health trusts across our region and we have UCL, whose research power in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience is recognised as the best in the UK. In this next phase we will be working with young people, their families and communities on the development and deployment of new innovations to improve adolescent mental health. Our work will focus on predictive and early treatment interventions to prevent and reduce the escalation of mental health problems in the young.

Cancer is the third commonest cause of death in our population and across the UK as a whole. It affects 50% of the UK population and is responsible for 460 deaths per day. Cancer is the commonest cause of death in children. Currently, England’s cancer outcomes are worse than the European average; a major driver of this is delayed detection.

We have leading cancer treatment centres across our partnership. With Great Ormond Street Hospital housing the largest childhood cancer treatment centre in the UK, and the Cancer Research UK City of London Centre recognised as a world-class hub for cancer research. In this next phase we will work to discover and implement solutions that accelerate the early detection of cancer, identifying people most at risk, providing rapid diagnosis and early access to treatment pathways. We also want to understand why some communities participate in cancer screening more than others, as this difference could be driving an inequality gap in their health outcomes.

An estimated two million people in the UK are living with sight loss and half of these cases were likely preventable. Eye disease is the commonest cause of outpatient attendance in the NHS. Vision impairment is a major contributor to societal inequalities, reducing people’s independence, mobility and likelihood of employment. Close to half of people living with vision impairment earn less than £300 per week while children with learning disability are 28 times more likely to have vision loss.

Within our partnership we have, with Moorfields, the UK’s only NIHR biomedical research centre for eye disease and one of the world’s leading eye hospitals. In this next phase, we would now like to support scaling of cutting-edge developments in eye health across our local population. We will work as a partnership to accelerate the delivery of innovation that predicts and detects eye disease early and accelerate the access of those at risk to cutting-edge therapies to prevent vision loss.

Respiratory disease is one of the leading causes of death in our population and across the UK, affecting one in five people. Incidence and mortality from respiratory disease are higher in disadvantaged groups and areas of social deprivation. This disparity is likely driven by the most deprived communities being exposed to higher levels of air pollution, poor housing conditions and occupational hazards as well as having a higher incidence of smoking rates and less effective access to healthcare.

Internationally leading research into respiratory disease is conducted across our university partners and respiratory disease is a priority focus in three of our partner biomedical research centres. In this next phase of work, we will be developing a pipeline of innovation that reduces the burden of respiratory disease caused by our environment and infection. We also be working on new approaches to improve the health and lives of those living with chronic respiratory disease.

Dementia is the second biggest cause of death in the UK and the leading cause of death in women. The number of people living with dementia is projected to increase rapidly, with some estimates suggesting it could reach 1.4m by 2040. Data shows people from deprived backgrounds and ethnic minorities have a higher risk of dementia, experience barriers to accessing care and are less likely to live well with this diagnosis.

We know there is already a strong pipeline of innovation in detection, diagnosis and therapy of dementia across our partnership. UCL is the headquarters of the UK Dementia Research Institute. And UCLH, with its National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, is recognised as a global leader in neurosciences research and neurological treatment. In the next phase of our work, we will seek to accelerate this pipeline and ensure these innovations reach those with dementia across our population rapidly.

Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time and is the biggest threat to the health of our population.

The NHS in England is responsible for 4.5% of all carbon emissions and is a significant polluter and user of natural resources, contributing to both climate change and poor air quality.

The NHS Green Plan set out targets to reduce carbon waste, improve air quality and minimise single use plastics. Progress has been made, but the scale and pace of action needs to increase. We will work as a partnership to accelerate efforts in this area by bringing together industry, universities and the NHS to develop, test and scale innovations that will reduce the adverse environmental impact of healthcare. Our aim is to support reduction in healthcare carbon emissions by 50% in five years.

Our healthcare systems are struggling to meet demands and deliver improvements in outcomes with available resources. We are struggling to recruit and retain a workforce to deliver the services we aspire to. Population in some of our boroughs is increasing rapidly while finances are constrained. We are aware that too much resource is invested in late-stage hospital care and that this may be better used in interventions targeting prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment. We are also aware that our regional healthcare system does not always appear coordinated or responsive and may be confusing to our public. We recognise the potential to transform care through new models involving novel technology, patient empowerment and workforce innovation.

In this programme of work we aim to use science and technology to help our healthcare leaders and our patients design sustainable healthcare systems that can adapt to changing needs.