Partnership framework summary

King’s Health Partners brings together:

• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust;
• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
• South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; and
• King’s College London.

For more than a decade we have worked as one partnership to improve health and wellbeing through world‑leading care, research, and education.

The refreshed KHP Partnership Framework sets out how we will continue to work together effectively and consistently as we deliver our shared strategy to 2030. 

Why we refreshed the Framework

Following the publication of the KHP Strategy to 2030, all partners agreed that our ways of working needed to evolve. A review of how we collaborate and make decisions showed that we could strengthen clarity, improve consistency, and deepen collective accountability.

The refreshed framework responds to this, creating a transparent and joined‑up model of partnership working. All partner Boards have endorsed the framework, allowing us to move into full implementation.

What the Framework does

The Partnership Framework provides a clear and practical structure for how partners coordinate work, prioritise investment, and ensure impact across the areas where we can achieve more together than alone. It does not create a new organisation or replace the statutory responsibilities of individual partners; instead, it provides a common way of working to support delivery of shared goals. 

The Framework strengthens how we:

1. Deliver our shared strategic priorities

• Delivering personalised health;
• Accelerating digital health;
• Improving population health.

These priorities are underpinned by our commitments to mind–body care, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE). 

2. Streamline governance and decision‑making

The Framework introduces a clearer, more consistent governance model that supports joined‑up planning and accountability:

• KHP Board – sets strategy and holds the partnership to account;
• KHP Executive Group – commissions and oversees delivery;
• Strategic Portfolio Oversight Groups – ensure progress across each major theme.

This structure improves transparency, ensures decisions are taken at the right level, and links decision‑making directly to delivery. It will be supported by Clinical Academic Fora:

• We will work with partners to review, refine, and strengthen the strategic direction of the clinical academic model to align with partner priorities and our collective KHP 2030 Strategy. 
• The Academic Committee in Common (ACiC) sits alongside KHP’s partnership governance structure as the statutory committee established by the boards of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT, King's College Hospital NHS FT, and King’s College London’s Council to oversee and assure delivery of agreed priorities.

3. A consistent approach to investment and prioritisation

The Framework sets out a single approach for choosing and resourcing partnership initiatives, ensuring we invest in work that delivers the greatest impact for patients, communities, staff, and the wider system. 

4. Strengthen quality, risk, and assurance

While statutory responsibility remains with each organisation, the partnership provides shared visibility of risks, quality concerns, and opportunities so we can act earlier and together.

5. Support sustainable growth and future partners

The Framework includes a model for welcoming new strategic partners where this adds value, ensuring they align with KHP’s culture, priorities, and governance. 

6. Improve communications and engagement

A coordinated approach ensures staff, patients, students, and communities across south east London benefit from partnership opportunities, and that our work is transparent and widely understood. 

A shared Partnership Charter

Alongside the Framework is a Partnership Charter, which describes the behaviours that make effective collaboration possible – including trust, openness, inclusivity, and collective accountability. This Charter helps ensure leaders and teams across KHP act in a way that supports shared success and strengthens our culture. 

Next steps

With approval from all partner Boards, we are now implementing the Framework across KHP. This includes establishing the refreshed governance groups, aligning portfolio priorities, updating terms of reference, and communicating the new arrangements across all organisations. 

The Framework will be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to support impactful and sustainable partnership working.