Mental health: New model of working to be spread across Manchester

The excellent results of the improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness work have led Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust (MMHSCT) to roll-out the new model to every Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) across the Trust, spanning North, Central and South Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups.

CLAHRC Greater Manchester has been working in collaboration with MMHSCT on the new model, the most notable facet of which is the introduction of a Community Physical Health Coordinator (CPHC) within CMHTs. The CPHC’s role is to liaise, discuss and coordinate the physical health management of people under the care of the CMHT. They do this with GPs via multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings.

The top-line benefits of this project are:

• The establishment of a clear joint responsibility for the physical health of people with severe mental illness by strengthening the co-ordination and collaboration between primary care and CMHTs
• Better prevention and control of physical health issues experienced by people with mental illness (e.g. cardiovascular disease or diabetes)
• Timely and patient-centred access to health promotion services (e.g. smoking cessation)
• The breakdown of health inequalities experienced by people with mental illness.

So far, the new model has produced some excellent outcomes and MMHSCT will be rolling the model out across Manchester over the coming months. To find out more, please contact Michael Spence, CLAHRC Greater Manchester Programme Manager, or read the full evaluation report of the pilot project, including a section on the key ingredients required for spreading the model, along with a more practical CPHC and MDT guidance document.

Date Published: 19/02/2014