Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) continues to break new ground in ensuring the physical health of its patients and service users is cared for as well as their mental health, the ultimate aim of which is to achieve parity of esteem.
The trust provides mental health, community health and learning disability services for a population of 1.1 million people. It has developed a physical health register to cut the risk of people with severe mental ill health developing life-threatening physical conditions.
People who are prescribed anti-psychotic drugs for severe conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are at much higher risk of developing serious conditions such as diabetes and heart disease – lifespan can be reduced by up to 20 years as a result.
The Leicestershire Physical Health Register was developed and trialled in 2013 by a team from the trust:specialist mental health pharmacist Dolly Sud, consultant psychiatrist Dr Manjunath Minajagi and consultant pathologist Dr James Falconer Smith.
The register helps clinicians to ensure they undergo close physical health monitoring by triggering key checks such as key blood test results, weight/BMI, blood pressure and to ask them about smoking, alcohol consumption, substance misuse, diet and exercise.
You can find more information on the full service offering https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/case-studies/mh-leicestershire/
Sheila Ashton Communications manager Adult mental health and learning disability services Telephone: 0116 295 0042