Research · King's College London, with a Lived Experience Advisory Panel; NIHR Research for Patient Benefit-funded programme
Sexual Health Services and Severe Mental Illness
““Choice should not be a luxury. It is a basic condition of person-centred and rights-based care.” - lived-experience commentary”
The challenge
Sexual-health inequalities were well known, but people with severe mental illness were rarely asked what the whole journey into care felt like
People living with severe mental illness experience substantial sexual and reproductive health inequalities. Barriers can appear long before someone reaches a clinic: knowing what services exist, deciding whether to seek help, navigating appointments, dealing with anxiety or previous trauma, and feeling safe enough to discuss highly personal issues. The study needed to understand these barriers from service users’ perspectives and translate them into changes services could realistically make.
What we did
Analysing twenty-nine interviews mapped the journey from finding a service to receiving care
Open Routes Research led analysis and writing around in-depth interviews with 29 people living with severe mental illness in England. The analysis examined information, choice, taking up services, clinic atmosphere, relationships with staff and people’s ability to take charge of their own health. A Lived Experience Advisory Panel contributed across study materials, interpretation and writing, and panel members were supported into authorship roles.
What changed
Service-user analysis produced practical recommendations on choice, access, clinic environments and trust
The research identified concrete ways to make sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible: clearer information, more choice in how people access and receive care, supportive clinic environments, staff who can discuss sexual health without judgement, attention to trauma and neurodivergence, and stronger links between mental-health and sexual-health services. The lived-experience commentary also pushed the work beyond access alone towards autonomy, dignity and rights.
Outputs
Two academic papers submitted to PLOS ONE; lived-experience commentary; practical service recommendations