What are we trying to do?

 

The 2023/24 Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) indicators within the NHS long-term plan define severe mental illness (SMI) as having a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses. The NHS long-term plan defines SMI as a range of diagnoses.  

 

Although annual health checks (AHCs) should occur for people with SMI, for a variety of reasons there appear to be disparities. This research aims to complete a review of the available evidence to explore what the barriers and facilitators are for uptake of AHCs in UK primary care for people with SMI.

 

 

Why is this important?

In England, over half a million people live with SMI. Research suggests that they have a higher chance of death than the general population and are more likely to experience other illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer.

 

The NHS aims to provide an AHC for at least 60% of people living with an SMI. However, despite the increased risks of living with SMI, general health screening appears lower than in the general population.

 

Increasing the number of AHCs for people with SMI would enable the healthcare system to identify potential health issues earlier, which may increase quality of life for people with SMI.           

 

 

How are we doing it?

Using a number of databases and focused websites, we are reviewing the available evidence about AHCs and short health screening interventions for people with SMI. This will help identify any gaps and enable us to provide some future recommendations. 

 

To guide the review, we are focusing on the following questions:

 

• What actions, interventions or models of service provision improve access to AHCs for people with SMI?
• To what degree does the evidence on SMI and AHCs represent minority groups?
• What are the barriers to access, facilitators of use of, and ways of implementing AHCs for people with SMI?
• What features of interventions are associated with increased use of annual health checks for people with SMI?

 

 

More information

 

 

 

Programme Manager
Gill Rizzello
Gill.rizzello@manchester.ac.uk