London has recently launched the Health Mission: a 10 year commitment by the capital’s public sector leaders to make London the healthiest global city. Its specific aim is to significantly close the gap in health inequalities in our city by 2035, using London’s innovation and digital transformation opportunities.

It was established in direct response to the NHS’s shift from analogue to digital, recognising that without intervention, that transition risks leaving Londoners behind and widening existing health inequalities. The Mission seeks to close that gap.

The mission consists of three workstreams: 

1. Data
2. Community insights and 
3. Theory of change – which LOTI is leading

The data workstream is currently working on establishing a baseline of digital exclusion across London — drawing on published data and an analysis of digital health service utilisation and uptake — so that interventions can be targeted where they are needed most and access to digital healthcare improved.

Community insights is focusing on capturing the lived experiences of Londoners with different needs as they navigate the increasingly digitised health and care system.

Theory of change, which LOTI is leading, is about designing, testing and implementing the right interventions that can help achieve the mission vision. We initiated this work in February 2026, by facilitating six workshops in four weeks, with practitioners from across the public sector including London boroughs, voluntary and community sector organisations (VCSs) and NHS and health. These sessions brought together over 80 leaders and practitioners, who shared their experiences and ambitions for the future.

A key finding was that although digital exclusion poses  significant barriers to access to health and care services, so do the context in which practitioners operate and Londoners live. On the latter, the key take away was that without interventions at system level, digital solutions will likely have limited impact. 

This is an oversimplification of the nuances and the detail these workshops revealed. For this reason and as an experiment of using storytelling and engaging techniques to deliver complex information in a digestible way, we’ve created, hopefully, engaging materials such as storyboards, and an AI-generated video – below.

Storyboards

In the Storyboards, the first shows the struggles of a woman in her 30s who due to her housing situation falls between the cracks in the system.

The second depicts the context of a practitioner where digital plays a role but it’s very much connected to the wider system in which they operate.

AI-generated Video

The video below shows the futures envisioned by participants for Londoners and practitioners. 

We’re just at the start of this work and are working to further define next steps. To stay updated, subscribe to the LOTI newsletter to follow our journey.