LGT sets out new five-year strategy: Becoming Exceptional | News

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) has today launched a new five-year strategy setting out how it will build on recent progress to deliver consistently better care for more than one million people across Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Called Becoming Exceptional , the 2026-2031 strategy sets out LGT’s vision for patients, communities, partners and colleagues. It covers the more than one million people LGT serves in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham and has been shaped with patients, residents, colleagues and local partners. It responds to the needs of a growing and ageing population, continuing health inequalities and rising demand for care. The plan is built around four clear objectives:

• Timely Access : cutting waiting times for all types of care and helping people receive the right care more quickly, in line with best practice and clinical need.
• Quality Care : delivering safe, compassionate and consistently high-quality care for every patient.
• Healthier Communities : working with partners to keep people well at home, prevent ill health and reduce avoidable pressure on hospitals.
• Thriving People : building a vibrant, safe and supportive Team LGT culture where colleagues do meaningful work and feel proud of the care they provide.

Strong foundations will make these ambitions possible: extending LGT’s digital capabilities and making smarter use of data ; maintaining buildings and improving facilities ; and managing money well by extracting value and spending wisely . The first two years will focus on strengthening these foundations, including the introduction of Epic, LGT’s new electronic patient record, from April 2027.

As part of its new strategy, LGT has set out how care will be different in 2031 for its patients and for the organisation. It has also created a two-minute animation that outlines its new strategy.

Ben Travis, Chief Executive of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said : “I am incredibly proud of how far LGT has come over the past five years, and of the colleagues whose skill, compassion and determination have made that progress possible. We are a stronger, more stable organisation, with talented people, trusted partnerships and firm foundations from which to aim higher.

“Becoming Exceptional sets out how we will build on that progress: improving the quality of care, helping people access services sooner, working with partners to support healthier communities and creating an environment in which our colleagues can thrive. It also recognises that lasting improvement depends on strong digital, estates and financial foundations.

“We know this is an ambitious plan, and we don’t underestimate the challenge ahead. But we believe it is right to stretch ourselves on behalf of the people and communities we serve. I have every confidence in Team LGT’s ability to build on our strengths, embrace new possibilities and turn that ambition into lasting change for Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.”

LGT will share progress against its strategy so that patients, communities, partners and colleagues can hold it to account. These will cover patient experience and safety, waiting times, workforce performance, productivity and finances. The Trust’s ambitions include ensuring that 92% of patients begin planned treatment within 18 weeks of referral, improving performance in urgent and emergency care and cancer services, and reducing avoidable hospital admissions among priority groups.

The plans cover the full range of LGT’s clinical services , from urgent and emergency care, surgery and cancer to diagnostics, community services, children and young people, maternity and neonatal care. Across them all, the aim is simple: intervene earlier, make care easier to navigate and provide more support closer to home.

Neil Goulbourne, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said: “The strongest strategies connect a clear ambition with practical change. For us, that means working differently with local partners, so care is organised around neighbourhoods and people’s lives, rather than around organisational boundaries. Bringing hospital, community, primary care, mental health, council and voluntary services together will help us identify needs earlier and provide more coordinated support before someone becomes seriously unwell.”

“This should make it easier for people to get the right help near where they live, reduce avoidable trips to hospital and give local communities a stronger voice in how care is designed. Local insight and population data will help us direct support to where it can make the greatest difference."