Improving access to physical healthcare for older people in inpatient mental health settings: The ImPreSs-Care Study
Older people benefit from joined-up care which looks at physical, mental health and social care together, called comprehensive geriatric assessment. However, this is not widely available and mental and physical healthcare is often provided by separate hospitals, and by many different services.
What is already known about the subject
People living with mental health problems die 15-20 years earlier than those without. This is known as “the stolen years” and is mainly due to poor physical health. However, patients struggle to get the care they need in a joined-up way. This means patients and carers often go to many different services for individual health problems, rather than managing them together in one place. This has resulted in problems accessing care, especially for people with high mental health needs.
Who we will be working with
We are working with patient and public (PPI) partners, as well as staff members, commissioners, and policy makers to develop and test the new service and share the study findings.
What we will do
This study will consist of three main parts:
- Co-design a joined-up physical-mental health service for older people in mental health hospitals through workshops with patients, carers, staff, and commissioners (people who make decisions on health services);
- Testing how well the new service works and what could be improved at a mental health hospital;
- Understand how the new service could be tested and rolled-out across the UK in a future, larger study.
What the benefit and impact will be
The results of this study will be used to change how physical health care is provided for older people in mental health hospitals.
When the findings will be available
The findings will be published and presented for each stage as they are completed by the end of the study in 2032.
Study duration:
01/07/2026 – 01/07/2032
The project is led by Lucy Beishon, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Leeds