Why do people living with severe mental illness (SMI) face one of the greatest health equality gaps in the UK?

34 snips

Jun 13, 2025

Explore the pressing health inequalities faced by individuals with severe mental illness in the UK, particularly regarding preventable physical conditions. Learn about the implications of glue ear on children's development and the importance of timely referrals. Dive into the importance of informed contraceptive choices for women post-breast cancer diagnosis. The discussion emphasizes actionable healthcare improvements that could significantly enhance patient outcomes and reduce life expectancy gaps.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Early Referral for Glue Ear

Refer children immediately for audiology assessment if you suspect glue ear early.
Early detection avoids hearing impairment effects on development and education.

ADVICE

Advice for Glue Ear Management

Advise parents to avoid tobacco smoke exposure for children with glue ear.
Encourage communication adjustments like facing the child and reducing background noise.

ADVICE

Refer Without Watchful Waiting

Refer suspected glue ear cases immediately rather than watchful waiting.
Early referral improves educational outcomes and quality of life despite added costs.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. In the first of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss:

Glue ear: should we refer as soon as we suspect?
Contraception after a diagnosis of breast cancer: supporting choice.
Physical health and severe mental illness: can we reduce significant health inequalities?

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from May will be covered next week.

Glue ear: should we refer as soon as we suspect?

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng233

Videos

https://www.littleears.soton.ac.uk/nasal-balloon-instructions

https://www.redwhale.co.uk/bytes/otitis-media-with-effusion-in-under-12s-glue-ear

(You'll need to sign in, or sign up to a free Red Whale account to view the video byte above!)

Contraception after a diagnosis of breast cancer: supporting choice

https://www.fsrh.org/Common/Uploaded%20files/documents/fsrh-cadbc-guidance-document-15-nov-2023.pdf

Physical health and severe mental illness: can we reduce significant health inequalities?

NHS England, 2024; Improving physical healthcare for people living with SMI in primary care).

'Being Bothered About Billy' - The RCGP James Mackenzie Lecture 2012 with Professor Helen Lester

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

...