The East London Health and Care Partnership (ELHCP) has had a paper published in the BMJ Open Journal that highlights the overlap between mental and physical ill health in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and The City of London – drawing on data that links patient records across care settings. 

Demographic information on the populations living in these areas and data on nine mental and 15 physical health conditions were reviewed, including looking at rates of conditions seen locally compared to national data. 

Generally speaking, local rates of illness were in line with those seen nationally. The study found that physical health conditions were both more common in those with mental health conditions; and that people with physical health problems were more likely to have mental ill health. Having more than one health condition is increasingly common, but this work points to the importance of understanding and offering care that supports the interactions between mental and physical health.