9th October 2024
Improving mental health outcomes for people with long-term conditions
Feeling socially isolated, experiencing periods of low mood or agitation, balancing feelings of overwhelm around daily life with the management of physical health symptoms – do all these sound familiar?
This year, World Mental Health Day (Thursday 10th October) is focusing on workplace wellbeing and aiming to shine a light on chronic stress. The feelings described above are all symptoms of burnout and you might have recognised them from your own experience at home or work or have noticed relatives or colleagues battling similar challenges. Burnout is on the increase and it’s more important than ever for healthcare professionals to give time and focus to their own mental health. Please see the link at the end of this blog for details of where to find relevant resources.
However, you might also have read the opening sentence above and immediately thought of some of your patients with long-term physical health conditions (LTCs), and you would have been right to do so. As well as needing to manage the symptoms directly caused by chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes, patients with LTCs are also at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health; it is vital therefore that healthcare professionals are equipped with strategies to support patients to achieve improved mental health outcomes.
With that in mind, Education for Health are delighted to announce our new ‘Supporting Mental Health for Adults with Long Term Conditions’ level 6 short course, launching in 2025. Accredited by the University of Hertfordshire, this new course is designed to be flexible, online, and self-paced, while also offering the opportunity to share best practice and deepen understanding in tutor-led webinars. This course has been developed in partnership with healthcare professionals working in primary care, community, and specialist mental health roles, ensuring that priorities identified by those working on the front line are included in the content. The curriculum includes an overview of mental health conditions often seen in patients who also have physical LTCs, an introduction to the range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions available, and evaluation of self-management strategies to empower individuals to actively participate in improving their mental health outcomes. Over the course of six months, participants will commit around 300 hours of study to earn 30 credits at degree level and will submit a written assignment and a short, recorded presentation exploring how patients in their locality can be best supported.
The value of reflection on diverse practice demographics came to the forefront during the co-production of the course with healthcare professionals, as we began to build a picture of how mental ill health can differently impact vulnerable groups. In line with Education for Health’s commitment to ensuring that learning is not only academic but can also be practically applied in the workplace, the course allows learners to explore areas of their own practice population that may be disproportionately impacted by socioeconomic factors and / or protected characteristics. Research indicates that patients with LTCs who are from areas of higher deprivation and / or are affected by other health inequalities are not only more likely to experience poor mental health than their peers but are also less likely to achieve recovery from mental health issues.2 If mental health outcomes are to be truly improved, this gap must be bridged.
If you think the L6 Mental Health course would be useful for your own practice, please keep an eye on our website as the first dates will be released soon.
In the meantime, please do visit the Mental Health Day 2024 website to for information and resources on maximising your own workplace wellbeing and supporting others in managing theirs.