Elected Member Briefing Note 2023, Issue 5
About this briefing note
Report by: Jacquie Pepper, Chief Officer Health and Social Care
Date: 12 January 2023
Subject: Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services: Final Report
Responsible Officer: Jacquie Pepper, Chief Officer Health and Social Care
Details
Purpose
This briefing note is to inform elected members of the publication of the final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services on 11 January 2023 by the Scottish Government.
Briefing Information
The final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services has been published on the Scottish Government website on Wednesday 11 January 2023.
The Minister also updated the Scottish Parliament via a written question on the report's publication which was initiated by Joe FitzPatrick, Dundee City West and lodged on 10 January 2023 as follows:
"To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services on ensuring that partners across Tayside are making improvements to the delivery of mental health services, and that progress has been made on responding to the findings and recommendations in the report, Trust and Respect, published in February 2020."
The question was answered by: Kevin Stewart 11 January 2023 as follows:
"The Final Report from the Oversight Group has been published today on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805254362
"Overall, the report is positive. It highlights where progress has clearly been made but also states a number of areas where further work is required.
"The Scottish Government will continue to support sustainable change and improvements in Tayside, to ensure the safe and effective delivery of mental health services.
"We will work with partners in Tayside to ensure a detailed improvement plan is in place, with clear milestones and deliverables which progress the key areas for action detailed within the Oversight Group's Final Report.
"We will measure progress against agreed key deliverables in this plan, working closely with NHS Tayside, Local Authorities, Integration Joint Boards, the Chief Officer for Mental Health and other Chief Officers in Tayside.
"These arrangements will inform whether NHS Tayside can be deescalated from Level 3 to Level 2 for Mental Health Services in the future.
"The Scottish Government will provide additional support to colleagues across Tayside, including access to advice and support from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate to support progress.
"I would like to thank the Oversight Group for the meticulous approach to this work.
"I have particularly welcomed the wide engagement the Chair and Members have had with staff and people with experience of using mental health services across Tayside, which has been a critical aspect in the successful delivery of this very challenging, but extremely important, programme of work."
Looking Ahead: Six Key Priority Areas for Action
In today's report, the Oversight Group has outlined six key priority areas for increased strategic focus for Tayside partners:
- Progress on 'single site', Strathmartine and delayed discharges
- Streamline and prioritise the change programme in support of Living Life Well
- Making integration work
- Engaging the workforce
- Engaging with patients, families, partners and communities
- Continued focus on patient safety
The Minister has requested that an improvement plan is now developed by Tayside partners which progresses these six key areas for action. This plan is to be submitted to Scottish Government by March 31 2023 and is to be signed off by the Tayside Executive Partners and the three Tayside Integrated Joint Boards.
A Ministerial Proactive statement was published, "Responding to the final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's mental health services, Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said:
"This is a vital piece of work which focuses on improving mental health services for the people of Tayside. The Independent Oversight and Assurance Group has been meticulous in their approach to this work, ensuring they have spoken with staff and those with experience of using mental health services across Tayside. This has been a critical aspect in the successful delivery of this very challenging, but extremely important, programme of work.
"We are committed to continuing to work with the three local authorities in the Tayside area, NHS Tayside as well as Police Scotland, to support the ongoing improvements in the delivery of mental health services.
"The Scottish Government will provide additional support to colleagues across Tayside, including access to advice and support from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate to sustain progress. With this approach, I hope this will go some way to help restoring the public's trust and confidence in mental health service provision in Tayside."
Tayside Executive Partners issued a statement of response:
"The final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group acknowledges many improvements in mental health services in Tayside over the past year and this is welcomed.
"The positive feedback will also be valued by teams across NHS Tayside, Health and Social Care Partnerships and Community Planning Partnerships who have delivered improvements in the very challenging health and care environment of the past three years. We are very grateful to them for their work.
"Today's report sets out six key areas for action and a detailed improvement plan will now be developed by partners and submitted to Scottish Government by March 31.
"One of the areas for immediate focus is the development of new plan for the delivery of the Tayside-wide Living Life Well strategy. Openness, transparency and meaningful engagement with patients, families, partners and communities is central to this strategy and a new programme of relationship-building involving mental health teams and people with lived experience is already under way."
Next Steps
The Perth and Kinross Integrated Joint Board in its role of Lead Partner for the coordination of strategic planning of inpatient mental health and learning disabilities services will receive reports on the progress of a detailed improvement plan at its meetings scheduled for 15 February and 29 March 2023 and will approve the plan in advance of its submission to the Scottish Government.
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