Since starting in March 2021, the project has grown and undertaken a diverse body of work with lived experience and coproduction at its centre. Below you find an overview of some of the work we do. We are always looking for new opportunities, get in touch if you would like to learn more or want to work with us.
Homelessness and health lived experience programme - Brighton and Hove
The Homelessness workstream started in June 2021; its aim is to integrate lived experience voice and improve homeless services in Brighton and Hove.
Our steering group meets regularly and is made up of people with lived experience of homelessness and staff from Arch Healthcare and Justlife. Since the group started, we have coproduced our ways of working and designed solutions for change.
"Every time I meet with the Common Ambition steering group I learn something new. Their wisdom and insights are changing the way we work, but more importantly they are transforming the way we think about healthcare for people who are experiencing homelessness." Gary Bishop - CEO, Arch Health CIC
Drugs and alcohol lived experience programme - Brighton and Hove
In March 2024, we received funding from Public Health (Brighton and Hove City Council) to support their Combatting Drugs Strategy.
We formed a regular steering group made up of people with lived experience of drug and alcohol harms, and staff from Arch and Justlife. Together we have identified challenges and designed solutions for change.
In October 2024, we undertook a women's drug and alcohol work sprint with women with lived experience of drug and alcohol harms. This has now become a regular group that meets fortnightly.
"Common Ambition has been one of the most rewarding parts of my sobriety. It has not only allowed me to be a part of such an amazing team, but it has also given me a voice as a woman in recovery. It's hopeful to see that change is possible and is happening!" - Cristal, Steering group member
West Sussex Drug and Alcohol programme
In 2025, we supported West Sussex County Council's Public Health to undertake a review of their drug and alcohol services
We carried out feedback forums with CGL clients across the county to understand what is working well and what could be improved in the drug and alcohol services they commission.
In 2026, we are running a series of workshops and groups to help improve their offer.
Lived Experience led events
Over the course of the programme, we have undertaken countless lived experience led events.
Events have included:
- Presentions of our work with stakeholders
- Worked with Brighton and Hove City Council to deliver lived experience facilitation
- Presenting at conferences
Our trauma-informed events invite collaboration and often involve interaction, people leave having engaged in coproduction!
"Common Ambition are refreshingly authentic and truly inspirational. They model best practice in embedding lived‑experience insight to drive meaningful improvements across the social care sector and beyond. Their contribution brings a vital, real‑world perspective to both operational and strategic decision‑making. Highly organised, consistently prepared, and fully professional, they approach every task with commitment, integrity, and purpose. Their work plays an essential role in shaping better, more responsive services." - Sharon, Rough Sleeper Services Commissioning Manager and Paulina, Commissioning Officer
Training
We coproduced lived experience led training for professionals working in the system supporting people with complex needs
Training has included:
- Coproduction training
- GP training on inclusion health and homeless healthcare
- GP training from the perspective of people with lived experience of drug and alcohol harms
"I attended the common ambition GP trainee teaching yesterday and was able to put the teaching straight to use this morning as my first patient was a lady presenting for the first time feeling that her drug and alcohol use had become a problem.
(...). I felt well equipped to advise her not only about what to expect from a CGL referral but also on what other services such as cascades she might find helpful. We also did the CGL referral together (rather than send her a link which is probably what I would have done before).
I just wanted to drop you a message and hope that you will pass it on to the rest of the team because it was so relevant to yesterdays teaching and felt like a very positive consultation for both myself and the patient." - From a GP who undertook the drug and alcohol training
Research and evaluation
As a collaborative project we have worked alongside services and academics to support them with research and service evaluation work. These have ranged from building evaluation models to consulting on research projects exploring how to engage with people with lived experience.
Collaborators and projects have included:
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School
- University of Brighton
- Evaluating the Changing Futures Brighton multidisciplinary team
- University of Oxford
- University of Manchester and Groundswell
- Stonewall Housing
"It is hard to overstate how crucial Common Ambition have been in supporting the development of person centred, trauma-informed services for people with multiple disadvantage within Brighton & Hove. Their work bringing the voice of lived experience of services to forums, strategic spaces and multi-agency partnerships has directly changed services for the better, by encouraging partners to put the service user at the heart of design and delivery of services. Their commitment has not only transformed individual services but has also laid the foundation for a more inclusive and responsive system that continues to evolve with the voices of those it serves, a legacy of person-centred care that will benefit Brighton & Hove for years to come." - Martin Powell, Changing Futures
