What we learned at the Tackling Inequalities conference 2023: Severe mental illness
Continuing our series of articles, we share insights from NHS England’s report on key learnings from our joint Tackling Inequalities conference in January 2023. The report has been published ahead of the upcoming second conference on 16 January 2024, which will focus on tackling inequalities through innovation and entrepreneurship. This article delves into the first conference's insights on addressing inequalities in severe mental illness.
Severe mental illness encompasses conditions such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and bipolar affective disorders, severely impeding individuals' functional and occupational capacities. The profound impact of SMI extends beyond mental health, contributing to the early onset of chronic physical conditions, including obesity, asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Individuals with SMI are confronted with a stark reality - five times higher premature mortality rates than their counterparts without SMI. This disparity is amplified in men, particularly in socioeconomically deprived areas. The research underscores that two-thirds of deaths among individuals with SMI result from preventable physical illnesses, emphasising the urgent need for holistic care.
The inaugural Tackling Inequalities conference highlighted that over 490,000 people with SMI were registered with GPs in 2016. Health checks, crucial for early detection and intervention, varied between 62% and 82%, indicating room for improvement.
Participants engaged in breakout sessions, sharing how they are already addressing health inequalities in the clinical area of SMI. Themes emerged, including enhanced symptom differentiation, electronic registers for identification, person-centred approaches, encouraging GP engagement, and fostering community collaboration and service development.
In response to the pressing challenges, conference participants proposed actionable ideas. These ranged from advocating for further research to supporting employment opportunities and dispelling myths surrounding SMI and physical health. Social prescribing, involving non-medical sources of support, emerged as a promising avenue.
To navigate the complex landscape of SMI and health disparities, participants discussed collaborative working, establishing community hubs, providing targeted training for mental health staff, and implementing population health and screening initiatives. Effective data management and sharing were seen as crucial elements for comprehensive care.
The conference concluded with pledges designed to reduce health inequalities in SMI, from prioritising smoking cessation to raising awareness and ensuring the focus of Core20PLUS5 is well understood.
Access the full report here.
Book your place at Tackling Inequalities: Through innovation and entrepreneurship on 16 January 2024.