CARE_04EngagingCare for Focus Patients
Ensure Annual Physical Health Checks for patients with Severe Mental Illness (SMI)
Summary
Use proactive recall to ensure all Focus Patients with SMI are invited to annual health checks and supported to attend.
Supporting information
People with SMI die 15-20 years earlier than average, largely from preventable physical conditions. When SMI intersects with other vulnerabilities in your Focus Patient group, these inequalities compound.
Approaches to implementation:
- Identify all Focus Patients on the SMI register and review their health check status
- Implement assertive outreach for those who are not attending reviews
- Offer flexible appointments including home visits where appropriate
- Ensure health checks address the full range of physical health needs
- Coordinate with mental health teams to provide joined-up support
Key benefits: Addresses the mortality gap for people with SMI, demonstrates parity of esteem between mental and physical health, and shows the most marginalised patients with SMI that their physical health matters and they are cared for.
Resources
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