This page offers ideas and tools to help ensure annual health checks are given to people who have serious mental illness.
As there is an increased risk of poor physical health conditions in people living with serious mental illness (SMI), we need to ensure that regular health checks are being carried out. Offering interventions to prevent or improve these physical health conditions is highly important.
Actions to take
- Deliver comprehensive annual physical health checks for people with SMI, in line with the NHS Five Year Forward View for Mental Health target.
- Target interventions at different points in a disease course (e.g. primary, secondary and tertiary level interventions).
- Standards for Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Services.
- This could be embedded within contracts.
Tools to help you
Improving physical health care for people with SMI in primary care (NHS England): National guidance for physical health screening:
Wellbeing and mental health: Applying All Our Health (Public Health England, 2018): National guidance for bringing together mental and physical health care objectives:
The Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (JCPMH): Guidance for commissioning public mental health services provides a comprehensive overview of public mental health initiatives and data sources and intelligence to inform Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs). Initiatives to support secondary and tertiary prevention of disease and promotion of physical health in those with established mental ill health could be considered in context of this guidance.
Mental Health Commission of New South Wales- Physical Health and Mental wellbeing – Evidence Guide, (2016): There is a significant evidence base evolving around health promotion and prevention services. A current and comprehensive review of existing evidence and gaps with recommendations that should inform current provision is:
PHE Prevention concordat for better mental health and associated resources
Making Every Contact Count: Health Education England provides a national framework and training to support all staff in making every contact count. This is a behaviour change approach that encourages health professionals and people working in government and voluntary organisations to spread preventative health messages through their everyday interactions:
A London framework for making every contact count has now been developed. Materials to support its implementation are in our resources section.
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Tagged: annual health checks, serious mental illness (SMI), smoking, stolen years