Month: January 2024

Discharge from mental health inpatient settings

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Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – 2024

This guidance sets out how health and care systems should work together to support discharge from all mental health and learning disability and autism inpatient settings for children, young people and adults. It sets out best practice on: how NHS bodies and local authorities should work closely together to support the discharge process and ensure the right support in the community, and provides clarity in relation to responsibilities; and patient and carer involvement in discharge planning

Discharge from mental health inpatient settings

Reaching out: improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness

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Centre for Mental Health

People living with severe mental illness face a 15–20-year shorter life expectancy than the general population. This is largely due to physical illnesses that could be prevented or treated. One of the ways to tackle this unacceptable inequality is by ensuring that everyone with severe mental illness is supported to access an annual physical health (PHSMI) check. This report with Equally Well UK, commissioned by NHS England, explores how new investment has been used around the country to improve outreach services and increase uptake of the PHSMI check.

Reaching out: improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness

Strong Foundations: Why emotional health is critical for mental health

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Demos – December 2023

The UK is facing a serious mental health crisis – every week one in six people in England will experience a common mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety. The knock-on impact of this costs our economy at least £118 billion a year due to factors like lost productivity and economic inactivity.

It’s essential the UK government adopts preventative policies that address the root causes of mental health issues, and help mitigate known risk factors; including an individual’s family environment, workplace, educational setting or neighbourhood.

In the first of two papers, supported by The Centre for Emotional Health, this paper introduces the concept of emotional health and explores the role it can play as a protective factor for mental health. Our findings show the state of our emotional health is a key pillar for maintaining good mental health by strengthening our resilience, relationships and communities.

Read the report – Why emotional health is critical for mental health

Perinatal mental health conditions – SIGN 169

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SIGN – December 2023

The guideline covers screening and treatment for women or birthing parents who are at risk of, or experiencing, a mental health condition during pregnancy or within the year following childbirth. The conditions covered include:

  • anxiety disorders – including generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychological birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • mood disorders – including depression and bipolar affective disorder
  • postpartum psychosis and management of psychosis
  • borderline personality disorder

Read the guideline – Perinatal mental health conditions – SIGN 169

Positive Voices 2022: survey report

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UK Health Security Agency

Positive Voices is a nationally representative survey of patients attending HIV specialist care in England, Wales and Scotland. The survey includes patient-reported data on: HIV knowledge, diagnoses and treatment; health conditions and medication; health care use and satisfaction with HIV specialist services and GP services; health-related quality of life and wellbeing; general health and health-related behaviours; stigma and discrimination; housing, employment and finances; met and unmet health and social care needs; and the impact of Covid-19.

Read the Report – Positive Voices 2022: survey report

Reaching out – improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness

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Centre for Mental Health – 17th January 2024

People living with severe mental illness face a 15 to 20 year shorter life expectancy than the general population. This is largely due to physical illnesses that could be prevented or treated.

One of the ways to tackle this unacceptable inequality is by ensuring everyone with severe mental illness is supported to access an annual physical health (PHSMI) check. This report with Equally Well UK, commissioned by NHS England, explores how new investment has been used around the country to improve outreach services and increase uptake of the PHSMI check.

Reaching out illustrates the barriers that can prevent people from accessing their physical health check, such as finding morning appointments challenging due to drowsiness from medication, or distrust of NHS services due to previous experiences (including compulsory treatment). It highlights the importance of coproduction in designing outreach initiatives to remove these barriers.

It also contains a handy information sheet with key tips on widening access to physical health checks for people with severe mental illness, such as using point-of-care testing kits to take PHSMI checks to where people are, or supporting people with travel to the GP surgery.

The report calls for outreach to be part of a wider strategy to improve the physical health of people living with severe mental illness and reduce the mortality gap.

Read the Report – Reaching Out

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: a framework of modifiable factors

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Department of Health and Social Care – Published 8 January 2024

The mental health of babies, children and young people influences their future mental health, as well as their current and future physical health, affecting their wider life chances and outcomes. The early part of the life course, from birth to young adulthood (0 to 25 years), provides important opportunities for promoting and protecting mental health. This document aims to: highlight the wide range of modifiable factors that interact to influence the mental health of babies, children and young people; summarise these in a framework; and convey opportunities across the life course for promotion and prevention.

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: a framework of modifiable factors