Mental health quality indicators: background and secondary definitions

1. Background

Action 38 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 ^[1] commits to developing a Quality Indicator ( QI) profile in mental health which will include measures across six quality dimensions – person-centred, safe, effective, efficient, equitable and timely. It also commits to measuring progress towards parity by introducing a measurement framework similar to those used in physical health, which will draw on a range of information to understand the differences that are being made to, for example, premature mortality, what money is being spent, how long people wait to access services, rates of employment, and poverty levels.

To deliver these actions, two overlapping data reports are being created: i) a Quality Indicator profile, with balanced information predominantly measuring individual care and treatment as well as service response; and ii) a measurement framework with broader population-wide data on wellbeing and mental health.

This paper provides background information on the purpose and scope of the QI profile, a summary of its development, the actions needed to implement the QIs, and a full list of the indicators and their secondary definitions.