Equally Well UK

A collaborative to support the physical health of people with a mental illness

Some of the facts

The life expectancy of someone living with a severe mental illness in the UK is some 15-20 years shorter than someone without a mental illness: equivalent to the average life expectancy in the UK in the 1950s. Premature mortality among people with a mental illness is predominantly caused by poor physical health, by conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

In 2018, Public Health England published a briefing highlighting the physical health inequalities experienced by people with severe mental illness. It stated that, compared to the general population, people living with severe mental illness:

Have 6.6 times increased risk of respiratory disease
Have 6.5 times increased risk of liver disease
Have 4.1 times increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Have 2.3 times increased risk of cancer
Are 3 times more likely to lose their natural teeth.

The solutions

Tackling the physical health inequalities faced by people living with severe mental illness (SMI) requires a comprehensive and integrated approach. This really is everyone’s business: from mental health services to primary care, hospital and community services, local authorities, charities, research bodies and many more.

NHS England has set out 10 key actions needed to make a sustainable impact on the physical health of people living with a mental illness. A coordinated national effort is needed to bring good practice to scale and support further innovation and improvement across the country. Learn more about the physical health of people with severe mental illness in this government report.

Equally Well in the UK

Equally Well is an initiative started in New Zealand which seeks to promote and support collaborative action to improve physical health among people with a mental illness. It is hosted in the UK by Centre for Mental Health in partnership with leading professional clinical organisations including the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Equally Well UK is co-produced with an Expert by Experience Group, a Clinical Group led by Royal Medical Colleges, and a growing membership of organisations. All decisions are made jointly between these groups to ensure that everything we do is informed by people with extensive lived and professional experience.

We aim to bring together health and care providers, commissioners, professional bodies, service user and carer organisations, charities and many more, working nationally or locally, to form collaborative action in the UK to bring about equal physical health for people with a mental illness.

Join us

Pledge your organisation’s support and be part of this ground-breaking initiative. To find out more and become a member of Equally Well, visit the website or email shizana.arshad@centreformentalhealth.org.uk