Aim:It has been noted for many years that people with severe and enduring mental illness frequently have poor physical health. Their physical health needs often go unrecognised by the mental health team. This study aims to investigate the physical health status of all in-patients in a residential rehabilitation setting.
Methods:All the clients in a rehabilitation centre in Doncaster, England, were included in the health screening survey. The physical health of patients was assessed following the guidelines from ‘Physical Health of the Severe and Enduring Mentally Ill. A Training Pack for GPEducators’.1
Results:Over one-third (35%) of the patients studied were found to be obese and more than one-half (53%) were heavy smokers. These compare with figures of 24% for obesity and 25% for smoking in the general population.
Conclusions:The physical health needs of people residing in rehabilitation units should be a high priority for the mental health staff and regular surveys should be considered. If we are successful at encouraging the mental health team to be involved in annual physical health screening of patients with severe mental illness in the rehabilitation unit, we might improve their physical health and reduce mortality.
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