Psychological therapies and interventions specification

Annex E

Core Mental Health Standards:

As part of the Scottish Government's wider work to improve mental health services and care, we have developed new core mental health standards. These standards set out clear expectations for what services will provide, whilst recognising the need for local flexibility, and how we will provide assurance of high-quality care.

The themes of the core mental health standards are listed below. These themes and this specification are informed by the Health and Social Care Standards.

There may also be other service standards, specifications and strategies that are relevant to you, for example, dementia or cancer care strategy, and these should be considered alongside this specification when psychological treatments are offered. When considering children and young people, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and NeurodevelopmentalSpecifications should apply, along with the principles of GIRFEC.

Core Mental Health Standards:

What I can expect

Access

1.1 I will be able to easily access and understand information about who services are for, what is provided, and how I can be referred to these.

1.2 Regardless of where I first made contact for support, I will be supported to get the help that is right for me, from the right person.

1.3 After I am referred, I will be contacted with an estimate of the time I will have to wait to be seen. I will receive regular updates if the time I have to wait is longer than this.

1.4 I will be provided with information on other appropriate available support such as online resources, self-help, and community resources including those from third sector and member-led organisations which will support me in waiting well.

1.5 I will be treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect when accessing services and my experiences, personal circumstances and requirements will be considered.

1.6 I will receive the help I need in a timely way and in a timescale which is based on the best evidence.

1.7 If I am experiencing crisis, I will be able to access the help I need at a time I need it, in an accessible and available space. I will be shown compassion by the people who provide my support.

Core Mental Health Standards:

Assessment, Care Planning, Treatment and Support

2.1 The help I receive will be centred around me, respectful of my choices and based on the evidence about what is most likely to help me. This will take into account my cultural and social needs, and will aim to follow the principles of trauma-informed practice.

2.2 I will get the help I need in a compassionate environment which is free from stigma.

2.3 I will be supported by professionals who have the necessary skills to meet my assessed needs.

2.4 If I need help from multiple professionals and agencies, I will have a designated person who will offer support in coordinating these.

2.5 Alongside consideration of my assessed needs, I will be asked what is important to me and this will inform my mental health and wellbeing assessment and the help I receive.

2.6 My support network will be involved in my care if I want them to be. They will be signposted to support and resources that are available to support them.

2.7 I will have one written care and treatment plan which is jointly created by me and the professionals supporting me.

2.8 I will have access to my care plan which will be regularly reviewed to ensure it continues to reflect my assessed needs and what is important to me.

2.9 Professional and teams who work with me will communicate in a way I understand.

2.10 Based on my assessed needs, including safety, the help I need will be delivered as close to home as possible and in ways that suit me.

2.11 I will have a choice in how I prefer to access care and support and whether I engage digitally or face to face. However I access support, the environment will be safe, clean and will enable effective treatment.

Core Mental Health Standards:

Moving between and out of services

3.1 If I need to move between or out of services, I will be supported to prepare for this move. If I need someone to help me, that support will be available to me at a time and pace I need.

3.2 If I move between different services, my care plan will include clear information which supports my move.

3.3 With my permission, my care plan will be shared as I move between services so that I have to tell my story as few times as possible.

3.4 If I move out of services, I will understand how to get support, care and treatment if I need this again, this will be easy for me.

Workforce

4.1 I will be confident that the staff who work with me have the right skills, training and experience.

4.2 I will be confident that the staff who work with me are well supported to do their job and their wellbeing is protected.

Governance and accountability

5.1 I will be asked about my experiences and this feedback will be used to improve services. With my agreement, my support network will also be able to offer feedback.

5.2 I will be able to easily find clear information on what actions I can take if these standards are not being met or I do not feel satisfied with my experience.

5.3 I will be signposted to independent advocacy services for support given the opportunity to share my experience confidentially and be supported to make a formal complaint if I want to.

Core Mental Health Standards:

To deliver this services and teams will

Access

1.8 Produce information in a clear and accessible format on who services are for, what is provided, and who can provide a referral. Information will include contact information, locations, opening hours and how to contact out of hours/emergency care.

1.9 Develop and publish the criteria used to assess needs and use this criteria to prioritise the referrals of those in most need.

1.10 Provide information on other sources of support such as online resources and community resources which will support people waiting. This will include third sector or member-led organisations which support people from different social, economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

1.11 Provide information on how mental health and wellbeing services work together and with other agencies and organisations to improve experiences and outcomes for people using services.

1.12 Work with people who use services to ensure information is easy to understand. Information will be available in people's preferred languages and will be person-centred, anti-racist, culturally and gender‑sensitive, age-appropriate, fully inclusive and in a range of formats e.g. audio or easy read.

1.13 Work to reduce stigma and barriers to accessing support, care and treatment. This will include consideration of inequalities related to cultural, ethnic, and other protected characteristics.

1.14 Have systems to accurately measure waiting times and outcomes for assessment and treatment, and make this information accessible to everyone.

1.15 Where national waiting time targets are in place, in CAMHS and Psychological Therapies services will work to meet these,

1.16 Take steps to measure, identify and rectify unnecessary delays.

Core Mental Health Standards:

Assessment, Care Planning, Treatment and Support

2.12 Ensure that teams provide a wide range of assessments and therapeutic interventions based on needs in their community.

2.13 Ensure that people's preferences inform how they access services and that services are delivered in an environment which is accessible, safe, and enable effective assessment, care and treatment.

2.14 Ensure mental health and substance use services work together to ensure there are no gaps in access or treatment provision.

2.15 Routinely measure and report care and treatment outcomes, including service users and carer experience, and use this data to ensure inclusion in service planning and delivery.

2.16 Use demographic data, engagement intelligence, national prevalence rates and data on wider determinants of health to identify groups with poorer mental health and direct resources accordingly.

Moving between and out of services

3.5 Work together to reduce delays in transitions of care. There will be joint processes, appropriate systems and information sharing protocols in place to enable seamless transitions.

3.6 Ensure that if people's move out of or between services is delayed, this will be recorded, with the reason for the delay made clear. Services will report this through organisational governance such as clinical or care governance processes.

3.7 Effectively communicate to provide co-produced written care plans for transitions between services or discharge from services, detailing how to reengage. Any risks will be clearly identified and documented, and the flexibility of transfer time and handover of care will be considered.

Core Mental Health Standards:

Workforce

4.3 Support the wellbeing and job satisfaction of the workforce.

4.4 Ensure that all staff have access to training and support for trauma-informed practice and will have completed equalities and diversity awareness training.

4.5 Ensure that any assessments or interventions are delivered by staff who have the appropriate skills, training, capability and capacity to fulfil their roles. Where workload tools exist, these must be used.

4.6 Ensure that staffing levels are safe, adequate and compliant with the health and care staffing legislation.

4.7 Ensure there are flexible, healthy, and safe work environments for all staff.

4.8 Ensure all staff have access to continuous professional developmental and learning materials that meet their needs and have protected time to undertake this.

4.9 Ensure clinical supervision and reflective practice is incorporated and adequately resourced into all services as routine practice.

4.10 Ensure leadership of services creates a supportive, collaborative and improvement culture which empowers and enables the workforce to support the implementation of these standards.

Governance and accountability

5.4 Ensure that information on compliments, feedback and complaints processes is easily available and in a clear, easy to understand format.

5.5 Ensure that processes are in place to learn from feedback and complaints and use this information to improve services.

5.6 Ensure senior leaders work collaboratively and a whole-system approach is taken.

5.7 Monitor and report on the standards and embed this in governance processes.

5.8 Work together with scrutiny bodies to provide assurance that standards are met and improvement to the quality of support, care and treatment are made where necessary.