Tackling cancer inequalities for people with severe mental illness

Headlines  

• People living with severe mental illness face stark inequalities in cancer care in the South West, exacerbated by the challenges of our rural and coastal region 

• Health Innovation South West has been collaborating with partners, clinicians, and people with lived experience to change this reality 

• Insights are informing a new report with recommendations for improving access, engagement and experience of cancer screening for people with SMI 

• Trauma-informed care event enabled cross-sector learning and identified shared priorities for future system-wide improvement.  

Health Innovation South West has been collaborating with partners, clinicians and people with lived experience of severe mental illness (SMI) to change the inequalities they face in cancer care in the rural and coastal South West – where long travel distances and limited access to specialists exacerbate the inequality. 

People living with SMI face some of the starkest inequalities in cancer care, including lower screening uptake, later diagnosis, and poorer outcomes. In the South West, limited access to specialists and longer travel times to services add to the challenges. Over the last 12 months, Health Innovation South West worked with partners, clinicians and people with lived experience to help change that. 

As part of our Cancer Mission Portfolio, we led a programme of work in 2025-26 focused on improving access to cancer screening and patient experience for people with SMI, through a trauma-informed approach to care. 

A key milestone this year was the successful delivery of a co-design workshop with people with lived experience of severe mental illness. Insights from the workshop are informing a new report with practical recommendations to improve attendance and experience of cancer screening appointments for people with SMI across the South West. 

The work also explored how resources like South East London’s ‘Cancer and You’  could be adapted for people with SMI in the South West, helping ensure information and support are more accessible and relevant to local communities. 

Alongside this, we strengthened collaboration across cancer screening teams, the voluntary sector, SMI teams, and lived experience networks, building the partnerships needed to drive long-term change. 

The programme culminated in our ‘Finding a Way Forward: Trauma-Informed Care for Patients and Staff’ event, held in Autumn 2025 in our Event and Innovation Space in Exeter, Devon. The day brought together experts and people with lived experience from mental health, maternity and neonatal care, and cancer screening, creating a platform for cross-sector learning and identifying shared priorities for improving access, engagement and experience through trauma-informed approaches to care. Attendees also contributed to an evaluation capturing key insights and actions for future system-wide improvement. 

At Health Innovation South West, our Cancer Mission Portfolio is aiming to accelerate innovation and improve cancer outcomes across the region despite significant system pressures. Aligning with NHS and regional strategies, our portfolio focuses on earlier diagnosis, reducing inequalities, improving workforce efficiency and supporting scalable digital and AI-enabled solutions. 

Other projects within the portfolio include HELP Flag, a multi-partner initiative involving Health Innovation South West, Royal Devon University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University of Exeter, cancer alliances, GPs, and Secure Data Environments, supporting GPs in rural and coastal communities with limited access to specialists to expedite early-stage cancer diagnosis; and our Cancer Innovation Challenge 2025, which delivered real-world evaluations of innovations including MySunrise’s digital pre-assessment tool streamlining systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT). 

Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with our latest news and work supporting innovation transforming cancer care.