Improving Physical Health For People With Mental Health Conditions 2015

This conference takes a practical case study based approach to delivering parity of esteem through learning from organisations that have succeeded in addressing the challenge of improving the physical health of people with mental health conditions.

“There is compelling evidence that people with a mental illness or a learning disability die earlier than the general population. This says something, of course, not only about the services available to support these problems, but also how we, as a society, treat people with a mental illness or a learning disability. This must change. This is an issue that goes to the heart of parity – the Government’s drive to ensure equal priority for mental and physical health in services, testing our ambition to reduce premature avoidable mortality for all people in society.” Norman Lamb MP, Minister of State for Care and Support, Recognising the importance of physical health in mental health and intellectual disability BMA May 2014.

NHS England have recently introduced a national financial incentive for mental health trusts to deliver lifestyle MOTs carrying out the checks, including smoking status, diet, weight, blood pressure, glucose and fats or lipids, and ensuring identified illnesses are treated.