Mind and Body Together: helping develop a resource to support living well with long term conditions

King's Health Partners co-ordinate the Mind and Body Programme to improve holistic care for people across mental and physical health and taking account of social aspects of everyday life.

Approximately 1 in 3 residents in south east London live with one or more long term conditions like diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, conditions of the joints and muscles, neurological conditions or conditions that affect multiple bodily systems like chronic pain.

If you have one or more of these conditions it can be harder to live your life as you’d like. Research shows your physical health and life circumstances play a big part in mental and emotional wellbeing and vice versa. Decent housing, an income that is stable and adequate and positive relationships with others are all important for keeping well. However many services and supports that help people with their physical health don’t consider wellbeing and many wellbeing services and supports don’t consider physical wellbeing. And many health related services don’t consider the life circumstances of people when making recommendations about health treatments.

This project is about developing a resource which brings together examples of services and activities across south east London which consider Mind, Body and life circumstances, which help keep people healthy, or for people who already have long term conditions, which helps recognise and deal with emotional and/or practical issues so that they are more able to focus on doing things that prevent health from worsening.

What you told us

49 people people responded to the survey, 48 of whom are living with a long term condition or supporting someone who is. Many respondents were managing several physical-health conditions alongside a common mental-health condition such as depression or anxiety (40%).

• 65% of respondents had one or more long term conditions. 35% were carers of someone with one or more long term conditions
• 57% were White, 12% Black/Black British, 12% Asian /Asian British
• 49% of survey respondents were aged 45-64; 33% were aged 18-44 and 18% 65 and above

Joined up support matters most. 48% of respondents said a lack of it made it harder to stay well, and 44% identified worry, low mood or stress as a barrier. Over nine in ten rated support from someone that understands their condition and support focused on what matters to them, as important or very important.

Your answers showed how physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing and wider circumstances affect one another and showed what helps: clear information about what’s available, help navigating services, and support that’s accessible, flexible and relevant. Trusted relationships, continuity and community-based support came up again and again.

• 96% rated support focused on what matters to the person as important or very important.
• 94% valued support from someone who understands their condition.
• 89% valued help with practical issues as well as health.
• 50% said peer support from people with similar experiences was among the ways of receiving support that would work best for them.

You can read the summary survey report here.

What happens next

These findings will feed into the Mind and Body Prevention Guide, alongside research evidence and local learning. Over the coming months, the team will complete the evidence reviews, develop draft approaches and test the guide with voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations, clinicians, commissioners and neighbourhood teams - so the guide is relevant and useful across settings.

It will help partners bring mental health, physical health and wider circumstances together in prevention pathways, so people can reach support that fits their needs.

The guide will be published later in the year.

Support available now

NHS talking therapies provides free support for anxiety and depression (Searchable site; each borough has one).

Local mental health and peer support: explore services through the Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich Mental Health Hubs, Mind in Bexley or South East London Mind, which covers Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.

Community and practical support: your GP practice can connect you with a social prescribing link worker, who can help you find local groups, activities, peer support and help with practical concerns.

If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option; call 999 if there is an immediate danger.

Mind and Body Programme

To find out more about the Mind and Body programme: