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This conference takes a practical case study based approach to assessing, monitoring and improving the physical health outcomes of people with serious mental illness. There is a focus on integrated working, and through learning from organisations that have succeeded in addressing the challenge of improving the physical health of people with mental health conditions and improving practice during Covid-19.
“Maintaining physical health is now much harder than before, but it has never been more important. Physical activity, stopping smoking and eating a healthy diet can help you feel better emotionally and mentally during this time... While COVID-19 is dominating our lives, it’s easy to neglect other health issues or to feel there isn’t help available. While physical health checks might be postponed or adapted, it is still critical that we all continue to address our wider health as usual, making use of resources, such as our GP surgeries and mental health teams to maintain and optimise our health.”
“People living with a severe mental illness have a 15-20 year shorter life expectancy than average in the UK. This is largely due to having poorer physical health, including a three times higher rate of diabetes than the general population and twice the rate of asthma, chronic lung disease and heart disease. People with long-term mental health problems do not always get the help they need for their physical health, including access to preventive care. NHS England committed in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health for 60% of people with a severe mental illness to receive an annual physical health check by 2020/21. Yet in the 12 months to the end of 2019/20, only 36% of people on GP severe mental illness (SMI) registers had received all six elements of the health checks, with progress further interrupted by Covid-19. Physical health checks are not a ‘nice to have’ – they can be life saving – and must be continued and uptake increased throughout the pandemic.”
This conference will enable you to:
- Network with colleagues working to improve the physical health outcomes for people with mental health conditions
- Reflect on the lived experience
- Understand the impact of lockdown and Covid-19 and how the pandemic requires to evolve ways of working
- Learn from established practice in the assessment and management of physical health conditions
- Ensure you are up to date with national developments including the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme and Framework
- Understand and reflect on what you need to do to bring together physical and mental health
- Update your knowledge on national developments including the impact
- Ensure every person under your care receives effective assessment and monitoring of physical health needs
- Understand how you can support people to improve physical health and the impact on personal recovery journeys
- Develop your skills in screening, assessment, treatment and monitoring
- Improving physical health outcomes for older people with SMI
- Understand how you can improving and monitoring the physical health of those with Schizophrenia
- Identify key strategies for improvement smoking cessation
- Reflect on how we can improve physical health outcomes for older adults with serious mental illness
- Self assess and reflect on your own practice
- Gain CPD accreditation points contributing to professional development and revalidation evidence
