Persons with mental illness have poorer health relative to matched populations with no mental illness. Evidence and expert commentary suggest that Mental Health nurses lack clinical capacity to provide the necessary physical care; ultimately contributing to premature death and co-morbidities. Constraining physical care capacity is a) students desired to focus purely on their mental health knowledge and skills, b) a culture within clinical practice to prioritise time and resources towards improving mental health. We found marketing practices at HE entry points can shape the necessary attitudes and the Baccalaureate proforma can enhance distributive ethics for clinical time rationing and resourcing. An escalation in disease prevalence requires a timely and appropriate policy response and logistical resourcing if quality of life is to be optimised, productivity maintained, and health cost contained.
