Improving the standard of mental health services in Northern Ireland

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is continuing to drive forward with its commitment to improving mental health and wellbeing and reducing levels of suicide in Northern Ireland with the publication of ‘Quality Standards for Services Promoting Mental and Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention’.

The PHA defines standards as an essential level of quality to ensure safe and effective practice against which performance can be measured. Standards are designed to encourage and support improved services which will lead to better outcomes for service users.

These new standards will apply to all organisations providing mental and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention services which are funded by the PHA. A number of workshops to introduce local services to the new standards are being held throughout Northern Ireland.

Madeline Heaney, Regional Lead for Mental Health Promotion with the PHA, said: “Improving the mental health and wellbeing and reducing levels of suicide in Northern Ireland is a key priority for the Public Health Agency.

“Quality improvement is a common goal and is central to the development of health and social care services.

“Improving quality is focused on setting minimum standards, improving governance arrangements and improving the way in which service providers are held to account for the services they provide.”

The new standards are available to download on the PHA website at http://bit.ly/MHstandards

Anyone who would like more information about local workshops can contact Fiona Teague at Fiona.Teague@hscni.net