The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales is targeting the Welsh government with a five-point plan to improve life expectancy for those with severe mental illness (SMI).
The paper, which was launched for this year’s World Mental Health Day, features a range of calls targeting treatment and mortality gaps for people with severe mental ill health.
Currently adults living with a severe mental health condition such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a life expectancy 15 to 20 years - lower than the rest of the population.
Now the five-point plan aims to address these gaps with a range of measures including:
- gathering better data on severe mental illness as more accurate statistics are needed to understand what is happening on the ground
- a dedicated workforce plan for psychiatry to meet the needs of a high demand for mental health services
- a greater prominence given to SMI at a political level including a chapter on severe mental illness in the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, due to be published early next year.
Psychiatrists also want an increase and expansion of specialist services and capacity – as too many people with SMI are being sent out of their local area for treatment.
Finally, the College wants to see an improvement in mental health clinical expertise – with an executive director of Mental Health for each health board in Wales.
Professor Alka S Ahuja MBE, Chair of RCPsych in Wales, said:
"We are reaching out to the Welsh Government today with an action plan to improve the lives of those living with severe mental illness in the hope that improvements will be made.
"It’s a disappointing fact that adults with severe mental ill health are almost five times more likely to die before the age of 75 compared to the rest of the population – and simply put this is situation which cannot continue to go on.
"As psychiatrists we know that two-thirds of premature deaths are from preventable and treatable physical illnesses but those with an SMI face inequitable access to health services and an increased risk of death by suicide.
"On World Mental Health Day we’re calling for the government to do something about this and close the mortality gap."
For further information, please contact:
- Email: wales@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: RCPsychWales