Policy Updates
LEGISLATION
Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 - aims
to:
- provide mental health services at an earlier stage for
individuals who are experiencing mental health problems to reduce
the risk of further decline in mental health;
- make provision for care and treatment plans for those in
secondary mental health care and ensure those previously discharged
from secondary mental health services have access to those services
when they believe their mental health may be deteriorating
- extend mental health advocacy provision beyond that which is
currently required
- English
version
- Welsh
version
-
Explanatory Memorandum
- Duty
to Review the Mental Health Wales Measure (pdf)
Action plans and strategies
Programme for
Government was published in October 2011 and
outlines the outcomes the Labour Government wishes to achieve in
its term in office.
The key actions for the next five years specifically
around mental health include:
- Implementing the Mental Health Measure to
ensure modern, user-focused care is in place
- Reviewing access to the range of ‘talking
treatments’ across Wales
- Ensuring that funding for the all-Wales
Veterans Health and Well-being Service continues
- Continuing to improve care and support for
people with dementia and their families
Together for Mental Health is the 10 year Mental
Health Strategy for Wales, which covers people of all ages. It
is a cross-Governmental strategy that aims to improve the
well-being of all people. It endorses the recovery and reablement
approach. The Delivery
Plan outlines the action plans, those responsible for delivery,
and the measurements of implementation of Together for Mental
Health.
The National Partnership Board was set up to
oversee the delivery and implementation of the Strategy. The
multi-disciplinary group, comprising patients, carers,
healthcare professionals, thirds sector and the Welsh
Government meet three times a year.
Minutes of meetings are available to the public.
Together for Health highlights plans for
how the NHS Wales will look in 2016. The main focus is on
delivering improvement within five years, promising that health
will be better for everyone, that access and patient experience
will improve, and that better service safety and quality will
enhance health outcomes.
The document highlights in seven areas where the change must
happen, why and how:
- Improving health as well as treating sickness
- One system for health
- Hospitals for the 21st century as part of a well designed,
fully
- integrated network of care.
- Aiming at Excellence Everywhere
- Absolute transparency on performance
- A new partnership with the public
- Making every penny count
Breaking the Barriers, Action Plan May
2010 - Better Support for Children and Young People
with Emotional Well-being and Mental Health Needs.
This plan is an explicit statement of intent, and sets out
how the Welsh Assembly Government, and the public services it
oversees, will achieve the strategic goals set out in
Everybody’s Business 2001 (see below).
Breaking the Barriers, second and final report on progress
against the Action Plan, focuses on activity during 2012-13.
These actions have allowed us make further improvements in mental
health and associated services under 'Together for Mental
Health'.
Public Health Wales Vulnerable Groups:
Draft Good Practice Framework for people with a learning
disability requiring planned secondary care 2010
- The work was commissioned from Public Health
Wales by WAG as part of their service level agreement.
This report aims to define best practice and improve health
outcomes for people with LD when they access secondary health care
for a planned hospital stay.
It is primarily targeted at hospitals and for people with LD,
their families, carers and paid support staff.
WAG Raising the Standard: Revised Adult Mental Health
National Service Framework and Action Plan, 2005
This revised National Service
Framework (NSF) supplants the original one published in April 2002.
The 8 Standards and 44 Key Actions remain largely the same within
the revision however the whole document has been brought up to
date.
Incorporated within this document are
the Welsh Assembly Government’s priorities for mental health
services.
It also includes an Action Plan to
implement the recommendations from a number of reviews that have
been undertaken and strategies developed since the NSF’s original
publication.
WAG Everybody's Business,
Strategy Document 2001 - Improving Mental Health Services
in Wales: child and adolescent mental health services (CAHMS)
Strategy.
The Strategy draws on the report of
the independent Advisory Group set up to advise the Assembly on
CAMHS. This document provides National Assembly guidance against
which services will be monitored and assessed.
Guidance
Mental Health (Wales) Measure: Code of Practice
to parts 2 and 3
The guidance document is
for local authorities, Local Health Boards ("LHBs"), and care
coordinators and any other persons in relation to their functions
under Parts 2 and 3 of the Measure.
These Parts make provision in relation to care and treatment
planning and care coordination for users of secondary mental health
services, and in relation to the provision of assessments for
former users of secondary mental health services.
This Code also gives guidance to LHBs, Local Authorities, their
staff, and care coordinators, in connection with the operation of
these Parts of the Measure and the subordinate legislation which
has been made in connection with it.
Mental Health (Wales) Measure Part
4: Delivering the Independent Mental Health
Advocacy Service in Wales
The guidance document provides
further information on the expanded IMHA scheme in Wales. From
Monday 2 April 2012, the Independent Mental Health Advocacy scheme
in Wales was extended so that all inpatients in Wales who are
receiving assessment or treatment for a mental disorder are
entitled to request support from an Independent Mental Health
Advocate (IMHA).
Mental Health (Wales) Measure: Guidance Part
1
The Guidance for Local Health
Boards and Local Authorities on the Establishment of Joint Schemes
for the Delivery of Local Primary Mental Health Support Services
has been circulated by the Welsh Government.
Mental Health (Wales)
Measure: Local Primary Mental Health Support
Services and Secondary Mental Health Services for the purposes of
the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 and related subordinate
legislation
The Guidance is
provided to Local Health Boards (LHBs) and local authorities in
connection with the operation of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure
2010, and the subordinate legislation which is being made in
connection with it.
It is intended to be used by LHBs,
local authorities and others as an aid when considering the
definition of ‘secondary mental health services’ as set out in the
Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 and the Mental Health (Secondary
Mental Health Services) (Wales) Order 2012, and in developing joint
schemes for the provision of local primary mental health support
services under Part 1 of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure
2010.
Mental Health Act
1983: Sections 135 and 136
This guidance
supports chapter 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice
for Wales. It is intended to provide additional advice and support
when involved in the operation of sections 135 and 136 of the 1983
Act in Wales to:
- Practitioners within health and social care;
- Welsh Ambulance Service; and
- Police officers and forces.
Also available is the Record of Removal monitoring
form.
Mental Health Act 1983: Approval of Approved Clinicians in
Wales 2011 Guidance -
This Guidance has
been developed to assist individuals and organisations that have
interests and responsibilities relating to the approval of Approved
Clinicians 2008 (see below) to understand and fulfil those
responsibilities.
WAG Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Guidance
The documents listed below are now available for download:
Mental Health Act 1983 Approved Clinician (Wales)
Directions 2008 - The Welsh Ministers direct the Boards to
exercise the function of approving persons to be approved
clinicians.
WAG Delivering the Care Programme Approach in Wales July
2010 Guidance - This interim guidance is provided to
Local Health Boards (LHBs) and Local Authorities in Wales to advise
them on how they should proceed in with service planning under the
CPA.
The guidance will also be useful to other statutory and
non-statutory agencies and organisations involved in the planning
and delivery of care to users of secondary mental health
services.
WAG The Role of Community Mental Health teams in
Delivering Community Mental Health Services: Interim Policy
Implementation Guidance and Standards, July 2010. The
guidance stresses the importance of ensuring that services
delivered by CMHTs are integrated and delivered in a co-ordinated
way, and that services set out clear and transparent access and
discharge criteria.
This guidance is issued to support senior managers of mental
health services working in Local Health Boards and Local
Authorities in Wales. It should be read in conjunction with
Delivering the Care Programme Approach in Wales: Interim Policy
Implementation Guidance (see above).
Inquiries
NAfW Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee:
Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for services veterans
February 2011, - report resulting from an inquiry into the
adequacy and suitability of services in Wales for armed services
veterans, including the Territorial Army, who suffer from PTSD.
Reports
Mental Health (Wales) Measure: Mapping of Local Mental
Health Services, February 2012
The Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care
(WIHSC) and the Welsh Government have produced a national report on
data gathered from Local Health Boards since September 2011 to map
all existing mental health services in primary care in Wales.
It provides baseline data which will help to
determine the impact of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure when
reviewed. The data also gives the local areas the baseline for the
introduction of the new services and it serves to inform local
signposting and advice for patients and carers.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards - Regulations made by
Welsh Ministers - The first two sets of Regulations
relating to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards of the Mental
Capacity Act 2005 have now been laid before the National Assembly
for Wales.