Health professionals - Physical health: resources

Rethink Mental Illness has developed a comprehensive range of materials to build confidence and raise awareness of physical health needs among health care professionals working in secondary mental health services.

The barriers to better physical healthcare for people with severe mental illness are related as much to communication and knowledge as the obstacles we are already aware of, i.e. diagnostic overshadowing, inflexible GP services, medication side effects and motivational problems. In respect of knowledge, there seems to be a consensus (as we are well aware) that mental health nurses lack both the training and the confidence to manage common physical health problems. However, we’re nearly there.... we know what the issues are, let’s work out a way to tackle them. Let’s enable our service users to get the physical health care they deserve.

Sue Blakely, Supporting Health Nurse, MHSCT

Integrated Physical Health Pathway 

This supports primary and secondary care services to work together to monitor and address the physical health needs of people affected by mental illness. 

Physical Health Check tool

This tool is designed to improve the monitoring of physical health for people with severe mental illness by providing a structured way of assessing physical health concerns. It enables health professionals and service users to develop plans to address any unmet physical health needs.

Good Health Guide

You can also support people by sharing this - full of practical information and helpful tips on healthy living for people affected by mental illness.

Physical Health Check e-learning package

A free, easy to use training package designed to highlight some key physical health risks and building confidence and awareness of some of these concerns.

The Physical Health Check e-learning package is a free, easy to use training package designed to fill a training gap and give mental health professionals the confidence to address the physical health of the people they work with. Developed in collaboration with experts in the field of mental and physical health, the e-learning package highlights some key physical health risks and demonstrates how a variety of health professionals have a role to play in addressing these issues.

• Register now for your e-learning log-in details

GP toolkit

A useful guide for surgeries on how to make the reasonable adjustments constituted in the Equality Act 2010.  

Physical health and nutrition factsheet

The Rethink Advice & Information Service produces factsheets on a wide range of issues affecting people with mental illness, their family, friends and carers. It is a certified member of the Information Standard.