Greenwich public living room: Connecting over health and social care

The Royal Borough of Greenwich hosted a public living room in General Gordon Square where residents were able to connect, share experiences and shape the future of social care together.  

It’s a simple idea, inspired by Camerados, with the aim of creating a welcoming space for people to be themselves and find strength in each other’s company. The council wanted to bring people together in an informal way to talk about what’s working or not in social care and use this feedback to develop and transform our services moving forward.  

Over 260 people came through the space throughout the day. Some stayed for hours, and some just popped in for a few minutes, but everyone was able to have their say on what matters to them. There were moments of laughter, open-hearted chats, and a true sense of community spirit.  

At the heart of it all was a need to connect. The council’s co-production team met people in the middle of their community, and held space for them to share what mattered most.  

Co-production refers to a collaborative approach where individuals and organisations work together as equals to make decisions or create services that meet their needs. It means people who access support, unpaid carers, families and professionals can all work together to shape how things are done. It’s not about ticking a box, it’s about recognising that the people closest to the challenge are also closest to the solution.  

Residents who attended said: 

“Sometimes you just need someone to sit with you and say, yeah, I get it.”  

“I didn’t feel like a service user here, I just felt like me.” 

“This is what community feels like.”  

Councillor Mariam Lolavar, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care and Borough of Sanctuary said: 

“We are committed to ensuring that people's health supports them in living their best life, and key to this is giving people greater say over managing their health and wellbeing.

“We are navigating a very challenging environment for health and social care, which is why we must rethink and transform the way we deliver our services. At the heart of this transformation is ensuring that the voices of our residents guide and shape the care they receive.

“It is brilliant that so many people came to our public living room and shared such powerful and personal reflections. We want to co-create solutions with residents, with the council and community working side by side.

“The future is collaborative. We are committed to working with local people and listening to their lived experience, with the aim of shaping systems that feel like they belong to everyone.” 

Everyone who attended the public living room helped shape several themes that represent both the challenges people face, and the strengths and hopes they want to build on. 

The council will be incorporating these into our ongoing co-production work and our refreshed vision for health and adult social care, as we build on our strengths in people, community and diversity. We will build a borough where unfair and avoidable differences in health and wellbeing are reduced, and everyone’s health is the very best it can be. 

Your voice can help shape health and social care services and systems that truly reflect the people who use them. Together, we can create a borough where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported to thrive. 

This public living room is just one of the many ways we are connecting with our residents to understand what is important to them. If you, a loved one, or someone you care for have experiences in the health and social care system in Greenwich, and would like to be involved in our work to develop and improve our services for residents, join us by filling out our online form.