Enhanced Physical Care Skills for Mental Health Practice

Supporting someone’s physical health will improve their mental wellbeing. Expand your appreciation of the meaning and impact of ill-health for individuals with mental health difficulties. Explore specific health concerns and risks, and link function and dysfunction to health and ill-health. Understand that the individual can be an expert in their own condition.

The physical health and wellbeing of people with mental health difficulties is now an issue of national importance. People who experience long-term mental health problems often experience difficulties accessing services to meet their physical needs, and may die sooner.

One area for concern is a potential lack of focus on physical care among mental health nurses (Nash, 2010), yet Government policy requires as much attention to be paid to physical wellbeing as mental health and wellbeing. While policy acknowledges that there is 'no health without mental health', we must remember that supporting a person’s physical health will improve their mental wellbeing.

This course is ideal for you if you work as a member of clinical staff in a mental health setting. It will deepen your understanding of the concepts of health, health beliefs and wellbeing. You’ll expand your appreciation of the meaning and impact of ill-health for the individual and those who support and care for them. You’ll examine specific health concerns and risks and, because you’ll study applied bioscience, you’ll link concepts of function and dysfunction to health and ill-health.

You’ll explore responses to emergency situations related to physical wellbeing within mental health care contexts. You’ll learn to screen for, and identify, common health problems. You’ll also consider the skills and services available to an individual with both physical and mental health difficulties.

For your assessment you'll make a 20-minute presentation proposing a change in clinical practice related to physical healthcare, accompanied by a 1,000-word supporting commentary with academic references.