Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness is the focus of a new 30-minute online training film.

The film provides guidance to primary care professionals on how to reduce the risk of people with severe mental illness dying from preventable physical conditions.

Healthcare professionals in primary care have been tasked with providing annual physical health checks to people with severe mental health issues. The film, based on training endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing, outlines best practice during these checks and in providing ongoing support.

The training film covers:

• How a person is affected by severe mental illness
• The physical health issues in severe mental illness
• Making appointments accessible
• Monitoring physical health in severe mental illness

This project has been developed by NHS England and NHS Improvement – South East and Health Education England, in partnership with the Charlie Waller Trust.

Dr Sheila Hardy, practice nurse lead at the Charlie Waller Trust, said: “It is incredibly sad that every year many people with severe mental illness are dying from preventable physical illnesses.

“We hope that this online training will enable healthcare professionals to access the information they need to provide ongoing support to those individuals who need it, and in turn reduce preventable illnesses and deaths.”

Dr Hardy has been providing training on this topic for many years to a range of nursing professionals. One practice nurse, having received the training, said: “I feel more confident in delivering health checks in my practice,” and a nurse practitioner said it was “extremely useful for my practice. [The training] made me think about different ways of approaching problems and improving patient care.”

You can watch the training film here. An accompanying handout and facilitator notes are also available to download.

We hope this online training will enable healthcare professionals to access the information they need to provide ongoing support to those individuals who need it, and in turn reduce preventable illnesses and deaths.

Dr Sheila Hardy