People in Wales will benefit from clearer standards for mental
health and self-harm services across the NHS and social care.
Two new quality statements are being published today. They define
the outcomes and standards which services must deliver, from
same-day open access support to trauma-informed care for people
who have self-harmed.
They support the delivery of the actions in the ambitious
Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Suicide
Prevention and Self-Harm Strategy and will help Wales to
become the first nation to deliver same-day, open access mental
health care.
Some 20 pilot projects across Wales have been set to provide open
access support, helping people get much needed help at an earlier
stage without the need for a doctor's referral. These will be
provide the foundation for a wider expansion to more services and
organisations.
The “demonstrator sites” include a mental health university
liaison service, which provides early intervention and
easy-to-access support for students attending any of the four
universities in Cardiff – Cardiff University, Cardiff
Metropolitan University, the University of South Wales and the
Royal College of Music and Drama.
More than 240,000 people have contacted the 111 press 2 service
for help with an urgent mental health issue since its launch in
Wales in 2022.
The Mental Health Quality Statement sets out nine core components
to redesign services around the goal of open access care, moving
away from traditional tiered models toward a more flexible,
recovery-focused system.
These include programmes being designed with people who bring
diverse perspectives and experiences, trauma-informed approaches
being clearly and consistently integrated at all levels of care,
services being flexible, data-informed and collaborative and care
being person centred.
The Self-harm Quality Statement identifies six pillars of
high-quality care: immediate treatment, trauma-informed support,
continuity of care, safety planning, holistic signposting, and
skilled responders.
It emphasises that compassionate, person-centred care must be
available to anyone who self-harms, regardless of their intent.
They have been developed with NHS Wales, third sector partners,
and people with lived experience.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care : “These standards
will ensure people have access to consistent, compassionate and
effective mental health support wherever they are in Wales.
“We are moving to a new future of open access services in Wales,
so people can receive the help they need at an earlier stage and
prevent them reaching crisis point. These standards will help us
improve mental healthcare and reach our ambition.”
Notes to editors
