Welsh Policy Updates

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.

 

 

 

Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 Regulations Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4

 

Regulations relating to Part 2 (Care Coordinator and Care and Treatment Plan) of the Measure were debated and approved by the National Assembly for Wales on 6 December 2011. You can access the Care and Treatment plan template in English or Welsh. From 6 June 2012, mental health services will be required to deliver the care coordination and care and treatment planning provisions.

 

Regulations relating to Part 3 - The Mental Health (Assessment of Former Users of Secondary Mental Health Services) of the Measure were debated and approved by the National Assembly for Wales on Tuesday, 18 October 2011. These Regulations will come into force on 6 June 2012.

 

Regulations relating to Part 4 - The Mental Health (Independent Mental Health Advocates) of the Measure were debated and approved by the National Assembly for Wales on Tuesday, 18 October 2011. These Regulations will come into force insofar as they relate to Welsh qualifying informal patients on 2 April 2012, and for all other purposes on 3 January 2012.

 

Consultation on Regulations relating to Part 1 (Primary Care Referrals and Eligibility to Conduct Primary Mental Health Assessments) of the Measure has now concluded (17 January). 

 

 

Mental Health (Wales) Measure Guidance Part 1 - 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.

 

 

 

Together for Health:  A five year vision for the NHS in Wales

 

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

 

WAG 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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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).

 

 

 

WAG 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).

 

 

 

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.

 

  • Framework document

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

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 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.

 

 

© 2012 Royal College of Psychiatrists