the most important factors in understanding the health gap between people with SMI and the rest of the population is the attitudes, values and behaviours of the healthcare professionals. Nash (2011) suggests that this may be due to the poor attitudes and lack of awareness of physical health diseases, lack of skills knowledge and abilities within the healthcare professionals which results in poor screening diagnosis and management of physical health. Briggs et al (2007) also suggest that there is a need for nurses to provide balance in factual health information that distinctly indicates individual susceptibility or risk. They continue to state that shock tactics, moral judgements and emotive language hinder the process of a therapeutic relationship with the patient resulting in alienation of such patients. Robson and Haddad (2012) identified that issues such as attitudes and knowledge amongst mental health nurses are direct to their role in physical health provision. In a study carried out by Mind, a mental health charity in the UK, it was found that many people with serious mental illness reported that they experienced stigmatisation and stereotyping from general practitioners and other healthcare professionals. Such attitudes heavily could impact people in accessing help and as a result will prolong their physical illness. Mental health nurses’ roles are critical to addressing the stigmatisation and stereotyping of mental illness patients and therefore this critical review investigates mental health nurses’ views and attitudes regarding the screening and monitoring of physical health needs of people with serious mental illness under their care