The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) have published A Picture of Health? A review of the quality of physical healthcare provided to adult patients admitted to a mental health inpatient setting.
The report provides advice and recommendations which will support mental health in-patient settings in considering how they meet patients’ physical as well as mental health needs. This is crucial if the ambition of parity of esteem is to be achieved, although it will require all relevant organisations from the Government down to maximise the positive impact of this report.
Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“We welcome the report by NCEPOD into physical health care in mental health settings. It’s important to recognise the need to integrate patient care, where separate streams can see patients fall through the cracks as they are bounced between services. Preventative measures such as these are urgently needed to ensure we close the gap on premature deaths for people living with severe mental illness.
“Parity of esteem is crucial to ensure the best care for people affected by both physical and mental health issues. Detailed health assessments and formalised treatment pathways as highlighted in this report could deliver significant improvements in care, but investment in the mental health workforce will be needed to achieve this.”