For nearly 15 years, MUTU System has been helping women recover from childbirth-related pelvic health issues through its specialized exercise program. Now, in a landmark development for digital women’s health interventions, the company’s solution is being prescribed through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
“Securing an NHS partnership represents a significant milestone, though it’s been a lengthy process,” explains Wendy Powell, Founder of MUTU System. “When working with the NHS, you’re effectively speaking an entirely different language compared to pitching to investors or corporate partners.”
From Personal Experience to Digital Health Pioneer
MUTU’s journey began with Powell’s own traumatic birth experiences and subsequent recovery challenges. As a pre and postnatal personal trainer, she quickly realized that the available professional education had significant gaps when it came to addressing common postpartum issues.
“During my pregnancies I maintained good fitness, but experienced traumatic births that revealed issues not covered in my professional training,” Powell recalls. “I realized that what I had been taught as a pre and postnatal fitness specialist simply wasn’t comprehensive enough to address the realities women face after childbirth.”
This realization led Powell to expand her knowledge beyond traditional fitness training. She began reaching out to women’s health physiotherapists, physical therapists, sex therapists, midwives, and surgeons worldwide – forging medical collaborations that would become a defining feature of MUTU’s approach.
“This was before social media as we know it today,” she notes. “I connected with medical experts worldwide through Twitter, establishing professional relationships that have remained fundamental to our approach. These medical collaborations have been integral to MUTU’s development, ensuring our close alignment with evidence-based practices in women’s health.”
The first iteration of MUTU System was filmed in Powell’s backyard with a flip camera taped to a tree. Today, it’s a sophisticated digital platform serving hundreds of thousands of women globally through a subscription-based model that delivers evidence-based exercise programs focusing on core and pelvic floor rehabilitation.
The Long Road to NHS Integration
MUTU’s NHS journey really began in 2021 when Powell became a fellow of the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), a program designed to help scale promising innovations across the healthcare system.
“The NHS Innovation Accelerator provided valuable connections, many of whom became vital allies in the road to system adoption,” Powell explains. “It opened critical doors and initiated relationships for me to actively cultivate and develop.”
The path from NIA fellowship to actual NHS contract involved multiple trials, evaluations, and relationship building. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, MUTU conducted initial trials with NHS patients, which led to further evaluations in different regions, predominantly in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
A turning point came when the Kent, Surrey, and Sussex Health Innovation Network funded an independent evaluation of MUTU’s impact. This comprehensive report examined not just clinical outcomes but the health economics of implementing the solution.
“The independent evaluation demonstrated compelling health economics,” Powell notes. “The report confirmed our program’s effectiveness, high patient satisfaction rates, and physician willingness to recommend it. Crucially, it documented significant cost savings for the NHS by reducing the need for surgical interventions and other expensive procedures.”
The report focused primarily on incontinence and prolapse – conditions with significant cost implications for the healthcare system – though MUTU’s program addresses a wider range of postpartum issues including back pain and painful sex.
Learning the Language of Healthcare Systems
For Powell, one of the most significant challenges in securing the NHS contract was understanding the unique priorities and constraints of the healthcare system.
“Initially, communications with the NHS led to frustration because I approached it with the wrong framework,” Powell shares. “Unlike venture capitalists or commercial partners who are specifically there to evaluate your pitch, NHS decision-makers are balancing numerous competing priorities beyond your solution.”
Breakthroughs came from learning to communicate in terms that resonated with NHS decision-makers and finding allies within the system who understood the value of MUTU’s solution, and vitally, how it could be easily implemented within current pathways
“Healthcare professionals are already overburdened with administrative demands,” Powell explains. “Success required understanding their constraints and presenting our solution in a way that minimized additional complexity while clearly demonstrating value within their existing frameworks.”
Bridging Fitness and Medical Credibility
MUTU occupies a unique position, straddling the line between fitness application and medical intervention. This distinctive approach has been central to its success with both consumers and healthcare providers.
“Our governance, clinical validation, and evidence standards exceed typical fitness solutions and align more closely with medical devices. This rigorous approach to clinical evidence has differentiated us in a market where credibility is paramount,” Powell emphasizes.
This commitment to medical evidence has helped MUTU in an increasingly crowded market. While Powell began her work when “nobody was talking about” pelvic floor health, today social media is filled with self-proclaimed experts. MUTU’s longstanding relationships with medical professionals and commitment to evidence-based approaches have provided a competitive advantage.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Access
With the NHS contract secured in one region, MUTU is now in discussions with other areas of the UK healthcare system to expand access to its program.
“NHS contracts typically develop on a regional rather than national basis,” Powell explains. “While we’ve established a foothold, our goal is to expand across multiple regions. Currently, only a limited number of women can access MUTU through NHS prescription, and we’re working to increase that accessibility.”
Beyond the NHS, MUTU has secured a commercial partnership with a major US medical insurer, potentially opening up another avenue for reimbursement and expanded access.
“Our mission has remained consistent throughout our evolution: every woman deserves a body that functions properly and supports her wellbeing,” Powell states. “Unlike much of the industry, we’ve never prioritized aesthetics or weight loss. MUTU addresses functional recovery and pelvic health needs that are underserved by conventional healthcare and fitness approaches.”
As the femtech industry continues to evolve, MUTU’s NHS achievement represents a significant step forward – not just for the company, but for the broader movement to integrate women’s health solutions into standard healthcare provision. In proving both clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness, MUTU has created a potential blueprint for other digital health interventions seeking similar recognition and reimbursement.
