Improving physical health-care equity for people with severe mental illness: evaluating a co-produced community initiative in Bexley, UK

Purpose People with severe mental illness (SMI) face profound physical health inequalities and premature mortality, largely due to preventable conditions. The purpose of this paper is to report on the evaluation of a co-produced initiative in the London Borough of Bexley, UK to increase uptake of annual physical health checks (PHCs) among people with SMI. Design/methodology/approach The evaluation drew on qualitative feedback from eight practitioner training webinars, a general practitioner roundtable event and outreach to 80 residents with SMI. Data were thematically analysed using an inductive approach to identify barriers, enablers and implementation challenges. Feedback included open-text survey responses, practitioner reflections and anonymised summaries of service-user conversations. Findings Training using lived-experience narratives improved practitioner confidence, empathy and awareness of physical health inequalities. Key service-user barriers included fear, disrupted routines, mistrust of clinical environments and difficulty navigating services. A community-based pilot delivered in a familiar, non-clinical setting showed early promise for reaching disengaged individuals. PHC coverage in Bexley rose from 43% to 63% over three months. Research limitations/implications This single-site, small-scale evaluation relied on self-reported data without follow-up, limiting generalisability. However, the co-produced approach offers valuable insights into inclusive, community-led care. Future research should assess long-term outcomes, scalability and cost-effectiveness, supporting broader investment in participatory models that embed lived experience in equitable mental health reform. Practical implications This evaluation shows that co-produced training, peer support and outreach in trusted settings can improve health-care access for people with SMI. The Bexley model offers a replicable framework, highlighting the need for inclusive, person-centred care, ongoing training, integrated commissioning and collaboration with voluntary-sector partners. Social implications This evaluation highlights how embedding lived experience and community-based delivery fosters empathy, reduces stigma and builds trust. The Bexley model shows locally tailored coordinated care can overcome structural barriers. Reducing the SMI mortality gap requires integrated neighbourhood approaches, peer support and sustained investment in equitable, person-centred social infrastructure. Originality/value This evaluation offers insight into how relational, community-based interventions combining practitioner education, peer-informed outreach and cross-sector collaboration can improve health equity for people with SMI. It contributes practical evidence for neighbourhood-level implementation aligned with the National Health Service Long Term Plan and Core20PLUS5 priorities.