𝗪𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲.

People living with severe mental illness die on average 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population. A significant part of that gap is preventable. And one of the most straightforward interventions — a physical health check — had an uptake rate of just 10% at our earliest iteration.

Not because the clients didn’t want support.

Not because they were hard to reach.

Because the system expected them to come to it.

As project sponsor, I was part of a team that changed that approach. We worked through three iterative PDSA cycles — testing, adjusting, learning — until we found what actually worked.

What worked was this: we went to them.

Clinicians at the front of delivery. Home visits. Community depot clinics. A dedicated phone line staffed by someone trained to respond, not redirect. Co-produced letters written with people who had lived experience of exactly what we were asking. Joint working with a local Primary Care Network — shared resources, shared knowledge, shared accountability.

At the six-month review, we had reached 100% of those who had not engaged in the preceding two years. Now we are scaling.

This work was recognised as a Finalist for the HSJ Health Inequalities Award from approximately 200 submissions across the UK. It is documented in a Health Innovation East case study commissioned by NHS England — you’ll find the link in the featured section of my profile.

But the number that stays with me isn’t the award. It’s the phone calls that started being answered.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴?

The presenting issue is rarely the real issue.

This is the work. And it continues.

The case study is in the featured section of my profile.

Trudy Wrake
Coaching Transition