RATES of early deaths among people with mental health problems across Cumbria are unacceptably high, a new report has found. 

The review, by the Open Public services Network, found that people with mental illnesses are more likely to die before the age of 75 from treatable conditions. 

This is the case across England but in a quarter of areas – of which Cumbria is one – the picture has been deemed to be particularly worrying. 

In the county, people with mental illnesses are 3.3 times more likely to die before the age of 75 compared to the rest of England. 

Treatable illnesses include diabetes, heart disease, respiratory conditions and strokes. 

Health organisations say there are various reasons people with mental health problems may suffer poor physical health, and they are working to change that. 

A spokeswoman for the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides both mental health and community health services, said the report highlights the need to improve access to health services for people with mental illness. 

She added: “It’s not acceptable that people with mental health problems do not enjoy the same access to basic healthcare checks across the NHS. 

"This is partly because of the stigma attached to mental health conditions preventing people from accessing services, but we continue to work with our partners to see how we can tackle this. 

Janice Horrocks, deputy director of mental health and learning disabilities for NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and Cumbria County Council, said they recognised the serious nature of the issue. 

She added: “Our GPs have a register of patients with serious and enduring mental illness which allows them to support those individuals with the appropriate physical health checks and, if necessary, interventions. 

"It is important that all patients have equal access to all of our health services. 

“Services are developing in Cumbria to provide more integrated health and social care, treating physical and mental health issues.”