The Lambeth Living Well Collaborative (the Collaborative) is a group of commissioners, providers of mental health and social care services, people who have lived experience of mental health issues and carers. Our goal is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people in Lambeth and we think that we have the best chance of doing this by working together.

The Collaborative was established in June 2010, bringing together a ‘good enough’ group of key stakeholders and aiming to open up a conversation about mental health involving everyone across the system in Lambeth, from those commissioning and providing support to those accessing support, to bring about change. One of the fundamental principles was that each person’s perspective and contribution was as valuable as the next and this has been vital in promoting vibrant discussion and forging new ideas and approaches.

Since it was established, the Collaborative has been committed to co-production as the framework for how we work together. Over the past eight years, the Collaborative has supported the co-production of services, including peer support, crisis and supported housing within the community.

It was also the driving force behind two of Lambeth’s major system-wide transformations: the Living Well Network and the Integrated Personalised Support Alliance (IPSA). The next step was setting up the Living Well Network Alliance (the Alliance), which has brought almost all of the funding for Lambeth’s adult mental health services  under a single contract, with a shared set of outcomes. Going forwards, the Collaborative will have an important relationship with the  Alliance, providing a whole system perspective on key issues, challenges and potential solutions and supporting coproduction principles across all service developments.

See the Collaborative’s Terms of Reference here.