Adult secondary mental health services - quality standards: consultation

Annex B - Process

Throughout the standards development process we have used the PANEL Principles to ensure we took a Human Rights Based Approach.

Discussions with stakeholders emphasised the importance of a partnership approach to the standards development with the voices of those with lived experience of using services being central. A partnership approach enabled a broader range of expertise and buy in than one organisation alone.

To facilitate this partnership approach, we established the Mental Health and Wellbeing Standards Working Group in December 2021.

The primary purpose of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Standards Working Group was to ensure the development and delivery of quality standards for adult secondary mental health services is carried out on time and to a high standard. To ensure consistency and to save duplication of resource, the group was also an advisory group on the development of National Quality Standards for Psychological Therapies.

The group brought together representatives of people with lived and living experience of using services and their carers (a carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support), the mental health and social care workforce and organisations who commission mental health services.

The chair of the group – Gordon Johnston – was selected by Ministerial appointment. Gordon has lived experience of using mental health services and is the chair of Vox Scotland's board.

The working group reported to the Mental Health Quality and Safety Board at key milestones during the development of the standards. The board is chaired by the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland and Vox Scotland were commissioned to engaged with people with lived experience of using secondary mental health services. They engaged with people through an online survey and several virtual focus groups. In total, 177 people engaged with the development process.

The National Centre for Collaboration on Mental Health was commissioned to undertake engagement with the mental health workforce and organisations who commission and deliver mental health services. They hosted virtual engagement events and conducted an online survey. Through 23 engagement events, 254 people were engaged and 271 people responded to the survey. Engagement events included members of the workforce from all health board areas in Scotland and those who worked in both health and social care.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland were commissioned to undertake an evidence review to inform the standards development process. They identified what mental health standards had already been published in the UK and other English language countries. They identified cross cutting themes and underlying principles from the standards examined. More detail can be found in Annex.

The evidence from the engagement work and the evidence review were brought together at a Consensus Conference. The conference took place virtually and delegates included people with lived experience of using services and those who work in and lead mental health services. Delegates discussed the findings of the three reports and reached consensus on their priorities for what needed to be included in the standards. These priorities were grouped into five key themes:

• Access
• Assessment and Care Planning
• Support, Care and Treatment
• Transitions and Continuity of Care
• Workforce