9 July 2025

The King’s Health Partners Mind & Body programme drives the integration of mental and physical healthcare, in part by implementing and scaling holistic healthcare initiatives. The mission of the programme is to drive transformation in mind and body care through research, education, and innovation. 

A holistic approach to mind and body care is one of the core principles of the King’s Health Partners Strategy to 2030. Evidence continues to show that the mind and body are deeply connected, influencing and impacting each other at every stage of life. However, significant unmet need and stark health inequalities have had a devastating impact on patients, with a shocking 15 to 20 year drop in life expectancy for people with severe mental illness.

In the blog below, Wesley Pigg from the King’s Health Partners Mind & Body programme discusses one of their latest initiatives and shares how he hopes this project will make a difference for patients.

Can you introduce yourself and your role with the KHP Mind & Body team? 

I am the Programme Manager for the King's Health Partners Mind & Body Team. As part of my role, I take responsibility for a portfolio of projects aimed at improving the physical health of patients with SMI. As a physiotherapist by background, I have worked in hospital operations and over the years I have been responsible for projects and programmes within Orthotics, Genomics, Cancer, and SMI areas.

What is the Mind & Body sexual and reproductive health initiative? 

King’s Health Partners Mind & Body, in collaboration with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, are launching an initiative where eight nurses will be trained to deliver basic sexual and reproductive health testing and interventions on inpatient wards. As part of this project, we will also develop an online training module to improve awareness and knowledge among health professionals. The aim of this project is to increase sexual reproductive health testing rates and to improve outcomes for adults with SMI. We look forward to sharing outcomes from this work once the initiative has concluded in March 2026. 

Why is this initiative needed and what challenges will it address? 

Adults with SMI experience disproportionately poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. For example, we know that HIV diagnoses are 2.5 times more common among individuals with SMI than in the general population. Research has also revealed rates of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are significantly higher in people with SMI compared to the general population.

People with SMI are at increased risk of experiencing a range of reproductive health issues, including unintended pregnancies, recurrent miscarriages, abortions, gynaecological conditions, and cancers affecting the reproductive system. They face higher rates of sexual assault and are more likely to experience sexual dysfunction. Despite these elevated risks, only 54% of people with SMI have ever accessed sexual health services. Barriers to accessing care include financial constraints, limited awareness, and the perception that sexual and reproductive health is a lower priority.

A tendency to focus on mental rather than physical health, harmful stigmas, and psychotic symptoms all exacerbate the issues and make it difficult for patients to access support when they need it most. Patients often find sexual reproductive health is not well integrated into mental health services, with many struggling to initiate related conversations. Cultural, religious, and ethnic factors can also affect engagement. Systemic issues show up in the data, with one study finding 32% of confirmed HIV cases were missing from mental health records. To add to these challenges, we know a lack of clarity, limited confidence, and insufficient training for staff can contribute to the gap in care. This project seeks to address some of these challenges. As the project concludes we will assess the impact of training to help inform the future delivery of sexual and reproductive care in adults with SMI.

What will a successful outcome look like for this initiative? 

Success would include greater awareness amongst staff and patients of the importance of sexual and reproductive health care. We hope to see an increase in the rate of testing at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, along with an increase in the number of conversations happening. Ultimately our ambition is to improve sexual reproductive health outcomes for patients.   

How is partnership working going to support this initiative? 

The clinical input and expertise of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Physical Health nursing team will be invaluable to the success of this pilot. From the start, this team has led the way with the ideation, planning, and delivery of this initiative.

Working in partnership enables us to connect relevant stakeholders and best practices, co-create innovative pathways based on the team's insights, and build the capacity to disseminate and embed the learning from this initiative across the wider health system.

How can we learn more about this initiative?

The Mind & Body programme hosts an Improvement Network on NHS Futures. Through our network we share resources, links to training and events, and examples of best practice. Anyone who wants to advocate for the integration of mental and physical healthcare can join and become a Mind & Body Champion. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the latest findings from coming from the Mind & Body team