Core mental health standards

5. Access and Equalities

A key priority in developing these standards has been addressing the inequalities in outcomes and experiences for people accessing mental health services. We know that access to and experience of mental health support and services is not experienced equally across the population.

We want these standards to support equitable and non-discriminatory access to mental health care and support as well as equity in the experiences and outcomes of people using services.

We acknowledge that as we implement these standards, we need to listen to and learn from people and organisations. In addition, we are undertaking an Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) and are using the findings from this to inform our approach to implementation.

Social and structural inequality in society means that those who face the most significant disadvantages in life also face the greatest risks to their mental health. This includes marginalised groups who experience discrimination, racism or exclusion (social, political, economic or environmental) based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. There are also ‘hidden’ groups such as those who are homeless, experiencing abuse or who experience multiple disadvantages.

In many cases, these same groups of people also often experience less access to effective and relevant support for their mental health. When they do get support, their experiences and outcomes can be poorer. These inequalities in mental health care can exacerbate mental health inequalities.

We must take an intersectional approach so we can most effectively understand and tackle structural inequality, recognising people are multi-faceted and different experiences or aspects of their identity interact to affect their mental health. We need support, services, care and treatment that are anti-racist, culturally-sensitive and inclusive.