Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Not Addressed
Reinstate annual physical health check target for SMI and embed health outcomes in Modern Service Framework.
Recommendation
NHS England should reinstate the annual physical health check target for people with severe mental illness (SMI) in operational planning guidance. This target has driven significant progress and remains essential for accountability, monitoring co-morbidities, and reducing preventable deaths. Building on this, the Modern Service Framework must include physical health outcomes and interventions for people with SMI as a core component. This should cover annual checks, tailored follow-up care, and mechanisms for monitoring and improvement. (Recommendation, Paragraph 133) 77
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then responds by discussing staff retention, workforce pressures, and the 10 Year Workforce Plan, which are unrelated to the recommendation to reinstate physical health check targets for people with SMI or include physical health outcomes in the Modern Service Framework.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
The government partially accepts this recommendation. The government recognises that improving physical health outcomes for people with SMI is essential to reducing health inequalities and preventable deaths. Annual physical health checks have driven significant progress and remain an important mechanism for monitoring co-morbidities and supporting early intervention. The completion of vital physical health checks features in the 2025 to 2026 NHS oversight framework. This provides accountability against the national target of at least 60% of people with SMI having an annual health check. In addition to this, the government is considering how the forthcoming MSF may provide opportunities for improving the physical health outcomes of people with SMI.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗