Mental health quality indicators: background and secondary definitions

5. Feasibility testing of the Quality Indicator profile

A scoping exercise to feasibility test the draft QIs was carried out via the National Information Leads Group and the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Mental Health Access Improvement Support Team ( MHAIST). Boards were asked to record whether data on each of the indicators were:

• currently reported on and readily available (coded Green/3)
• not currently routinely recorded, but a system to capture and report the required data already exists (coded Amber/2)
• not currently reported on, and the ability to capture and/or report is not currently available (coded Red/1)

12 of the 14 territorial Boards responded, with the results of the scoping exercise shown in Figure 1 below. Note that one of the indicators (Eq3) has since been replaced following consultation and there have also been some minor changes to language in three others.

Overall, there was variance across Boards, with individual QIs having different levels of availability in different places. However, only one QI was scored as red and orange across all the Boards that responded, indicating that most Boards will be able to report on even the most challenging QIs.

Figure 1: Mental Health Quality indicators: results of scoping exercise by Health Board (2017)

Following further refinement by the National Mental Health Pharmacy group and other stakeholders an expert panel of Scottish Government policy, clinical and special board representatives reconvened on 15 March 2017 ( Annex B) to agree refinements to the draft QIs. Following this, on 2 May 2017 a paper setting out the background and rationale for the QI profile was sent out widely for comment ( Table 1). This sought views on the proposed process, the 30 draft indicators with their secondary definitions, and potential data collection sources. There was broad support and only minor refinements were necessary at this stage.

Table 1: Consultation responses by organisation