Physical & mental health care needs more coordination New mental health roadmap identifies ways of improving care. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, who has often spoken of having a special interest in mental health issues, has launched a new report recommending a range of improvements to primary healthcare services aimed at stopping people with serious mental illnesses from dying much earlier than other Australians. Statistics show that nearly 80 per cent of people with serious mental illness die prematurely of chronic physical health conditions that could be effectively managed and often prevented.
support people in navigating the complex health system •
Medicare Benefits Scheme funding for GPs to set up dedicated supports to ensure regular health checks and screening as well as treatment of chronic conditions
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ending gap payments for medication, including for cardiovascular diseases risk reduction medication and nicotine patches
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establishing a federally funded national clinical quality registry to support and monitor improvements in life expectancy for people with serious mental illnesses and
People with a serious mental illness are: •
Six times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease
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Five times more likely to smoke
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Four times more likely to die from respiratory disease
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Likely to die between 14 years and 23 years earlier than the general population and account for approximately one-third of all avoidable deaths (National Mental Health Commission, 2016)
The Australian Health Policy Collaboration’s (AHPC) Being Equally Well report was developed in partnership with GPs, psychiatrists, mental health consumers and carers, and other health professionals. It lays out changes to how medical services can work, including: •
implementing shared care between psychiatrists and GPs, and with pharmacists to manage mental and physical health together
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mental health nurse navigators, to
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establishing a national Office for Quality in Physical and Mental Healthcare Outcomes.
AHPC lead Professor Rosemary Calder from Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute said if implemented the roadmap would help more than 470,000 Australians with a serious mental illness live longer and healthier lives. ‘Change is needed to address the shocking reality that people with severe mental illness die up to 23 years earlier than the rest of Australia,’ Professor Calder said. ‘Our current health system is largely designed and structured to treat health conditions separately and health professionals often prioritise mental health illness over physical health. There is also a persistent element of bias – with mental illness sometimes seen to be the explanation of other illnesses or conditions.
‘We need better health system arrangements that prioritise and support both the physical and mental health of people at the same time.’ Professor Calder said this roadmap shows the way to supporting joined up care between mental health services and general practice. ‘Delivering a shared care model of health care will ensure the whole person is treated and physical healthcare is given the priority it should command alongside mental healthcare,’ she said. The University of Melbourne Professor of Psychiatry Malcolm Hopwood said he was ‘horrified to think that the next patient I see with a major mental illness will die up around 20 years younger than the rest of the Australian population. It is simply unacceptable. ‘The suite of measures in this roadmap offers an evidence-based way forward and demands government and healthcare sector support.’ Reference on website
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