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Financial rewards for NHS trusts that improve physical health of patients with mental illness

Financial rewards for NHS trusts that improve physical health of patients with mental illness

NHS England has set out four areas that mental health trusts must improve on, in order to secure their full annual budgets. In total, 2.5% of their income will depend on them meeting targets in these areas.

Tackling the poor physical health of people with severe mental illness has been named as one of the areas – a move which has been welcomed by the charity Rethink Mental Illness.

Mark Winstanley, CEO of Rethink Mental Illness said: 

“This is great news for our supporters, who have been fighting for decades to get proper physical health care for themselves and their loved ones.

“Our recent report, Lethal Discrimination highlighted how 30,000 people with mental health problems are dying needlessly every year in England, due to preventable physical illness. It’s one of the biggest hidden health scandals of our time, so to see it prioritised in this way is a significant step forward.

“While there are some pockets of good practice in the system, most people with mental illness are being badly let down when it comes to their physical health.

“This new financial incentive is a positive move forward, but it will not work in isolation. The Government’s recent Living Well for Longer strategy outlined a whole range of actions that local leaders and health professionals need to take if we’re going to tackle this inequality effectively. We need the whole system to work together to make the physical health of people with severe mental illness a top priority.”
 

For more information about the CQUIN go to:

http://www.rethink.org/get-involved/campaigns/20-years-too-soon/cquin

For more information, please contact Rachel Hobbs, Media Manager for Rethink Mental Illness on 020 7840 3138 email rachel.hobbs@rethink.org

Notes to editors

Rethink Mental Illness is a charity that believes a better life is possible for millions of people affected by mental illness.

For 40 years we have brought people together to support each other. We run services and support groups that change people’s lives and challenge attitudes about mental illness.

We directly support almost 60,000 people every year across England to get through crises, to live independently and to realise they are not alone.

We give information and advice to 500,000 more and we change policy for millions.
For more information go to www.rethink.org