10 October 2025

Rethinking Pain: Insights from The Kings Fund and Here

Pain is too often treated as a symptom to suppress. But what if pain itself were a signal – an opportunity to intervene early, support people now, and prevent more complex health problems later?

A group of people sitting around a table in a community workshop, actively discussing ideas. The table is covered with papers, colourful post-it notes, and coffee cups. A vibrant mural is visible on the back wall, and more participants are seated in the background.

A new blog published by The King’s Fund “Rethinking Pain: Can a ‘Do With’ Approach Prevent Complex Multiple Conditions?” explores how we might rethink pain not only as something to treat, but as an opportunity to connect, support, and prevent. The piece was co-authored by Adam Lent from The King’s Fund and Laura Finucane, Consultant Physiotherapist and Expert Clinical Advisor at Here, who has long championed a more person-centred, collaborative approach to pain services.

A “Do With” approach

The blog argues for a fundamental shift: from doing things to people in pain, to doing things with them. That means co-designing services alongside people with lived experience, understanding what really matters to them, and supporting them to take part in shaping their care. This approach resonates deeply with our work at Here, where we are rethinking how pain services can be delivered across Sussex and beyond. We know that pain doesn’t exist in isolation — it affects movement, sleep, relationships, mental health, and overall wellbeing. Addressing it effectively means working across boundaries and building partnerships that help people stay active, connected, and in control of their health.

Shaping pain services for the future

Our Rethinking Our Health programme is already putting these principles into practice:

Co-production: involving people with lived experience of pain in designing, testing, and improving services.
Holistic support: integrating physical rehabilitation with psychological and social support.
Prevention focus: identifying and responding early to help reduce the long-term impact of persistent pain.
Accessibility: ensuring that services are easy to reach, responsive, and equitable.

This collaboration with The King’s Fund reflects our shared belief that meaningful change happens when people, professionals, and communities design health services together. You can read the full blog, “Rethinking Pain: Can a ‘Do With’ Approach Prevent Complex Multiple Conditions?”, on The King’s Fund website.