Isaac Samuels, Co-chair of the National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG) and the Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) Board, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in The King’s Birthday Honours List 2025.
We congratulate Isaac on this well-deserved honour. Isaac’s journey is a reminder of the transformative impact of lived experience and co-production on social care. Their work challenges assumptions, breaks down barriers, and creates space for people who draw on care and support to lead change.
Through their leadership, Isaac has championed social justice, equity, and co-production, helping to reshape how adult social care is understood and works. Their story is personal, but it carries collective meaning, signalling the value of authentic leadership and the vital role of co-production.
We’re proud to work alongside Isaac at TLAP, and to learn from their passion and commitment to making a difference.
Isaac shares their reflections on receiving this honour:
“As someone who’s faced severe and enduring mental health challenges and was written off by many, I struggled to believe in my own potential. I wasn’t able to dream big, not because I didn’t want to, but because of my severe distress. But I overcame the odds, and that’s why this honour means so much to me.
Through co-production, I’ve found purpose, value, and belonging. It’s given me a way to work towards changing the world through social justice. Co-production helped my recovery more than medication or talking therapy ever did.
This recognition is for all people with lived experience of drawing on adult social care, and it speaks to the vital role of co-production.
Who would have imagined? From being a mental health patient to receiving an OBE and beyond. It’s been overwhelming at times, but working through those emotions has been truly meaningful. I feel honoured and privileged.
Despite everything the world throws at us, leadership matters — especially recognising leadership from disabled people involved in co-production and social care. This is an honour I never thought I’d receive, and one I hope to live up to.”
