Neglected Health

Why people with severe mental illness are still dying too soon

The Equally Well Backbone Team, for Equally Well NZ, are pleased to be able to share this systematic review by Elizabeth Emsley, Sarah A Sullivan, Elizabeth Rose-Innes, Emma Sidebotham, Clare E French
Published in the British Journal of General Practice, Online First, 2025

Background

People living with severe mental illness (SMI) experience significantly higher rates of premature mortality than the general population—with preventable physical ill health a major contributor. Annual physical health checks are a key strategy to address this, yet uptake remains deeply inconsistent and, in some areas, critically low.

Aim

This systematic review sets out to collate and assess published evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to increase access to, and uptake of, physical health reviews for people living with SMI.

Why this is important

Despite widespread policy emphasis and national targets, the uptake of physical health checks for people with SMI has not been systematically reviewed—until now. The findings highlight a troubling scarcity of robust evidence and underscore the urgent need for high-quality research, particularly in general practice settings, to close this avoidable health gap.

This review is essential reading for clinicians, service designers, and policymakers working at the intersection of mental and physical health. It doesn’t offer easy answers—but it makes the stakes clear.