Centre for Mental Health

Sainsbury Centre launches updated primary care guide to severe mental illness

20 January 2004

The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) today published a guide for primary care staff on caring for people with severe mental health problems.

The guide includes up-to-date advice and information on implementing the new GP contract, for example in compiling registers of people with severe mental illnesses and offering them physical health checks.

Dr Alan Cohen, SCMH director of primary care and a London GP, said: "Primary care workers are the first place people seek help when they develop mental health problems. They need to be aware of the signs of severe mental illness in order to offer timely and appropriate care.

"People with severe mental illnesses suffer high levels of physical ill health. Studies have shown that a person with schizophrenia can expect to live for 10 years fewer than a person without a mental illness. Regular health checks and advice on healthy living are a vital part of the care they should receive from their GP.

"Our updated guide provides the basic information all primary care staff need to offer the right care and support to one of the most excluded and unhealthy groups of people that they serve."