19 December 2007
BLUEPRINT FOR IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PUBLISHED
New standards for mental health lay out a practical approach to improve services by developing a coherent set of care pathways (ICPs), tailored to the needs of individual service users, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) said today (Wednesday).
The standards – entitled ‘Standards for Integrated Care Pathways for Mental Health’ – set out detailed steps towards the better integration of services, whether they are delivered by NHSScotland, local authorities, or the independent and voluntary sectors.
There are four main elements to the standards:
- Process standards which describe the key tasks, including governance, training and stakeholder involvement, which affect how well ICPs are developed in a local area.
- Generic care standards which describe the interactions and interventions that must be offered to all people who access mental health services.
- Condition-specific care standards for the five most prevalent conditions – depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, dementia and borderline personality disorder - which build on the generic care standards and describe the interactions and interventions that must be offered by mental health services to people with a specific condition.
- Service improvement standards which measure how ICPs are used and how variations from planned care are recorded and acted on.
The standards, which have been drawn up in close partnership with service users, carers and health and social work professionals, have been formally endorsed by the Scottish Government and the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA). They were launched by the Minister for Public Health, Ms Shona Robison MSP.
Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison said:
“I am delighted to formally launch the NHS Quality Improvement Standards for mental health. These Standards provide us all with robust drivers for change and offer a national benchmark by which we will measure local progress. All who helped in their preparation; all who responded to the consultation; and all who have argued for this step change are to be congratulated today.”
Commenting, Sir Graham Teasdale, Chairman of NHS QIS, said:
“One in four people experience some kind of mental health problem at some point in their life. That makes it one of the most significant health issues facing Scotland and an enormous amount of innovative work is being done by a range of organisations across health, social work and the voluntary sectors. Nevertheless, there is clear evidence that we have a long way to go to achieve the integration and coordination needed to deliver the kind of quality of care users deserve.
“Our standards have been developed by a close partnership of service users, carers and clinicians and lay out the practical steps needed for better integration of services, no matter who delivers them, to help ensure that service users’ needs are properly assessed and then actually met. This is a key step in improving the care delivered and the outcomes of care achieved.”
Alexis Jay, Chief Social Work Inspector of SWIA said: “The development of these standards shows a clear commitment to partnership working across all agencies and we look forward to these partnerships developing locally. Please accept this as a starting point to work from.”
Editors Note:
- NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has been established to lead in improving the quality of care and treatment delivered by NHSScotland. To do this it sets standards and monitors performance, and provides NHSScotland with advice, guidance and support on effective clinical practice and service improvements.
- The Social Work Inspection Agency’s aim is to promote excellent social work services and generate improvements in standards, quality and positive outcomes for service users in Scotland.
Media Contact: Stephen Ferguson of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland on 07779 329 689