Articles

Commissioning Parity of Esteem: Specs, KPIs and Governance for Physical Health and Dual Diagnosis Pathways

Commissioners increasingly require mental health providers to evidence parity of esteem through reliable physical health monitoring and integrated dual diagnosis practice. This article explains what “good” looks like in specifications,...

Physical Health Screening in Mental Health Contact: Turning “Checks” Into Preventing Deterioration

Physical health screening in mental health services fails when it is treated as a form to complete rather than a routine clinical discipline. This article explains how teams embed consistent...

Dual Diagnosis and Physical Health Risk: Building a Safe, Joined-Up Operational Model

Physical health harm linked to substance use, medication and long-term conditions is a major driver of crisis presentations. This article explains how providers integrate dual diagnosis support with physical health...

Medicines Optimisation and Metabolic Risk in Severe Mental Illness: From Monitoring to Measurable Harm Reduction

Psychotropic medication can stabilise mental health but carries significant metabolic and cardiovascular risk. This article sets out an operational model for medicines optimisation, routine monitoring, escalation and follow-through that reduces...

Managing Long-Term Conditions in Severe Mental Illness: Shared-Care Routines That Reduce Avoidable Harm

People living with severe mental illness are more likely to experience unmet long-term condition needs and delayed escalation when physical symptoms change. This article shows how providers build shared-care routines,...

Delivering Annual Health Checks and Health Action Plans for People With Serious Mental Illness: A Practical Operating Model

Annual health checks only reduce inequality when they are actively brokered, reasonable adjustments are planned, and outcomes are followed through into day-to-day support. This article sets out an operating model...

Parity of Esteem in Practice: Closing the Physical Health Gap in Severe Mental Illness

Parity of esteem demands operational delivery that closes entrenched physical health inequalities for people with severe mental illness. This article outlines how providers embed screening, coordinated escalation, and shared accountability...

Dual Diagnosis Beyond Detox: Integrating Mental Health and Substance Misuse Care as One Pathway

Dual diagnosis requires coordinated mental health and substance misuse support delivered as a single, coherent pathway. This article sets out an operational model that reduces parallel working, strengthens safeguarding, and...

Medicines Optimisation and Physical Health Safety in Mental Health Services: Monitoring That Actually Works

Physical health harm in mental health services is often driven by medicines risk—missed blood tests, unmanaged side effects, interaction risks and unclear escalation. This article sets out a practical monitoring...

Physical Health Monitoring in Community Mental Health: From Screening to Shared Accountability

Parity of esteem becomes real when physical health monitoring is built into routine mental health contact, with clear ownership, escalation routes and follow-up. This article sets out an operational model...

Medicines Optimisation and Physical Health Safety in Mental Health Services: Monitoring That Actually Works

Physical health harm in mental health services is often driven by medicines risk—missed blood tests, unmanaged side effects, interaction risks and unclear escalation. This article sets out a practical monitoring...

Embedding Physical Health Screening Into Community Mental Health Contact: From “Checks” to Preventing Deterioration

Physical health screening in mental health services fails when it is treated as an occasional task rather than a routine clinical discipline. This article explains how teams build consistent screening...

Delivering Annual Health Checks and Health Action Plans for People With Serious Mental Illness: A Practical Operating Model

Annual health checks only reduce inequality when they are actively brokered, reasonable adjustments are planned, and outcomes are followed through into day-to-day support. This article sets out an operating model...

Managing Long-Term Conditions in Severe Mental Illness: Operational Models That Reduce Avoidable Harm

People living with severe mental illness are more likely to experience unmet long-term condition needs and delayed escalation when physical symptoms change. This article shows how providers build shared-care routines,...

Dual Diagnosis and Physical Health Risk: Building a Safe, Joined-Up Operational Model

Physical health harms linked to substance use, medication and long-term conditions are a major driver of crisis presentations and avoidable admissions. This article explains how services integrate dual diagnosis support...

Physical Health Monitoring in Community Mental Health: From Screening to Shared Accountability

Parity of esteem becomes real when physical health checks are built into everyday mental health practice, with clear ownership, escalation routes and follow-up. This article sets out how providers operationalise...

Medication, Metabolic Risk and Physical Health Monitoring in Mental Health Care

Psychotropic medication is a critical component of mental health treatment but carries significant physical health risks. This article examines how services manage metabolic risk, ensure safe monitoring and maintain parity...

Managing Long-Term Physical Conditions Within Mental Health Services

People with serious mental illness are significantly more likely to experience poorly managed long-term physical health conditions. This article explores how mental health services can embed effective management of diabetes,...

Dual Diagnosis Beyond Detox: Integrating Mental Health and Substance Misuse Care

Dual diagnosis requires coordinated mental health and substance misuse support delivered as a single, coherent pathway. This article examines how services move beyond parallel provision to integrated delivery that reduces...

Parity of Esteem in Practice: Closing the Physical Health Gap in Mental Health Services

Parity of esteem requires more than policy alignment; it demands operational delivery that closes entrenched physical health inequalities for people with mental illness. This article explores how services embed physical...