National guidance published in February 2018 which focused on securing improvements in physical health care for people with severe mental illness (SMI) within primary care, where the majority of people living with an SMI received their care and treatment, through supporting CCGs to use transformation funds to commission enhanced provision to better address physical health risks and needs.

The guidance determines that good physical health care provision is primary care must include:

• Completion of recommended physical health assessments
• Follow up: delivery of or referral to appropriate NICE-recommended interventions
• Follow up: personalised care planning, engagement and psychosocial support

The work programme for the Clinical Network will focus on:

• supporting and enabling the CCGs and Sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) to delivery their improvements trajectories for the number of people with an SMI who receive their physical health care assessment and follow up – this support will be bespoke to the local needs of the health services
• working with East Midlands colleagues to determine efficient and effective access to interventions and screening – ensuring that these services respond appropriately to people with an SMI

Initial work has been carried to provide an educational tool for primary care.  This tool will prompt and enable staff within the practice team to look at how their approach could be made more suitable for people with SMI.

The East Midlands and West Midlands Clinical Networks have provided development and learning opportunities during 18/19, and this will continue into 19/20 with a mix of events and webinar enabling systems to learn from each other as well as keep up to date with the national agenda.

For more information regarding the Physical Healthcare and SMI work programme please contact: Zoe Boyes, Network Senior Quality Improvement Manager.