From social movements and coproduction to personalisation strategies. On the 70th birthday of the NHS, we look at different ways that power can be used to create health and improve care for the future.

"The current debate in health and care is overwhelmingly focused on money. But money isn’t the only thing the health and care system needs - it also needs a greater variety of power models. This isn’t an arcane conceptual debate. The way in which power is understood and exercised in health materially affects us all - whether as citizens or frontline staff".
Halima Khan, Executive Director of Nesta Health Lab

To unpack what power in health means and how to shape it, we asked people with different experiences of health and care to share their perspectives. You may also like to see what people had to say at our recent Future of People Powered Health event, which focused on power in health.

We have used images of water across these pages to represent different forms of power and how it can change; from the icy, rigid and imposing structures of traditional power - to something more fluid and adaptable, creating new energy as it ripples and waves.