Did the monitoring of CVD risk through the Quality Outcomes Framework reduce risk of mortality in people with severe mental illness? Linkage study of LDN and CRIS

People with severe mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder experience a reduction in life expectancy of 15-20 years. Much of this premature mortality is accounted for through preventable causes such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders and cancers. Since 2004 General Practitioners have been financially incentivised to keep a register of people with severe mental illness and are also incentivised to check their physical health every year. Although it seems to make good sense that screening physical health and managing any problems like blood pressure, diabetes or providing smoking advice may improve mortality risk we do not yet know if these interventions in primary care actually improved mortality risk. The present study will assess this, alongside other indicators of disability, in a cohort of people with SMI.