Dr Nisha Mehta, editor-in-chief of the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013 explains the report's findings and recommendations on the subject of mental health. This presentation was delivered at the QualityWatch annual conference on 28 October 2014. For more information, see: www.qualitywatch.org.uk/QW2014. QualityWatch is a joint research programme from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation.

1. Dr Nisha Mehta
Editor-in-Chief
The Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013

3. 1.Mental illness is the single largest cause of disability in the UK
2.Economic costs – 4.5% of GDP
3.Mental illness and sickness absence / worklessness
4.Mind the gaps – treatment, access, funding, services and mortality
5.Evidence based public mental health policy needed

4. Mental health and well-being – the Foresight Report
‘achieving a small change in the average level of wellbeing across the population would produce a large decrease in the percentage with mental disorder, and also in the percentage who have sub- clinical disorder (those ‘languishing’)’
The Government Office for Science. Foresight Report ‘Mental Capital and Wellbeing. Making the Most of Ourselves in the 21st Century’ 2008

6. 1.No consensus on the definition of well-being
2.Psychometric relationships are unclear
3.Well-being measures are unsafe in populations with mental illness
4.Widespread, unscientific ‘re-badging’ of other research findings
5.Widespread, unacceptable use of poor quality ‘grey’ literature
6.Re-inventing the wheel - quality of life research

7. 1. Critically compromises public mental health policy and subsequent service development
2. Encourages the use of vague terminology
3. Detracts from the public mental health needs of untreated and ‘at-risk’ populations

8. Mental health promotion – ‘the creation of individual, social and environmental conditions that enable optimal psychological and psycho-physiological development. Mental health promotion involves individuals in the process of achieving positive mental health, enhancing quality of life and narrowing the gap in health expectancy between groups’ (WHO 2004)
Mental illness prevention – ‘aims to reduce the incidence, prevalence and recurrence of mental disorders, the time spent with symptoms and the risk conditions for mental illness, preventing or delaying recurrences and decreasing the impact of the illness in the affected person, their family and society’ (WHO 2004)

11. CCGs
Local Authorities
Health & Wellbeing Boards
Public Health England
NHS England
Department of Health
Royal College of GPs & Psychiatrists
Health & Social Care Information Centre
Mental Health Intelligence Network
Office for National Statistics
Health Education England
Time to Change

12. Lib Dems – mental health promised to be one of the top priorities into the next election
Labour promise to integrate physical & mental health and social care asking hospital trusts and other bodies to evolve into ‘NHS Integrated Care Organisations’

13. nisha.mehta@nhs.net