7 October 2025

The King's Health Partners (KHP) Mind & Body PEACS (Pain: Equality of Care and Support in the Community) programme has been awarded a £1million grant to scale chronic pain support nationally. 

The grant was awarded by Versus Arthritis through their Living Well 2025 funding stream. The focus of the investment is to address musculoskeletal health inequalities, by striving for better musculoskeletal (MSK) health and care at home, in leisure, at work, and in communities. 

The Lambeth PEACS pilot has already supported more than 1,500 people living with chronic pain — many of whom have MSK conditions, such as arthritis. With this investment, KHP Mind & Body will be able to help even more people across the UK to benefit from mind and body care.  

What is the PEACS (Pain: Equality of Care and Support in the Community) programme? 

PEACS is a bio-psycho-social pathway, co-designed with the local Black community in Lambeth, to address the disproportionate burden of chronic pain, especially among Black women. Delivered in partnership across primary care, secondary care, and the voluntary and community sector, PEACS offers: 

extended 1:1 holistic assessments: 

  • lifestyle-focused intervention workshops; 
  • peer support groups; and 
  • community integration and onward referrals. 

The PEACS programme pilot showed significant improvements in quality of life, self-management, and reduced GP appointments. 

How will the funding from Vertus Arthritis support the PEACS project? 

With this new funding, KHP Mind & Body will: 

  • streamline and embed PEACS across Lambeth as part of a Neighbourhood offer; 
  • develop an implementation package to support national adoption;  
  • spread and scale PEACS in two diverse regions across the UK; and 
  • evaluate impact on patient outcomes, experience, access, and health inequalities. 

Why is the PEACS programme being scaled across the UK? 

Scaling PEACS from a successful pilot to a nationally adoptable model directly addresses one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare: sustainability. By developing a streamlined, replicable version of the programme, we aim to embed holistic chronic pain support into neighbourhood care pathways. Our  implementation package will ensure local areas can tailor the approach to their population needs while maintaining fidelity to what works. 

This work directly addresses health inequalities and the unmet needs of underserved populations living with chronic pain. It offers a scalable, culturally tailored model that empowers patients and strengthens community-based care. 

We’re proud to be working with partners including Lambeth Together Neighbourhood and Wellbeing Delivery Alliance, and the South London Health Innovation Network, and we look forward to collaborating with new adopter sites across the UK from 2027. 

We’ll be sharing updates, resources, and opportunities to get involved as the programme progresses. If you’re interested in learning more or exploring partnership opportunities, please contact mindandbody@slam.nhs.uk.