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Seven priorities for mental health following discovery project

September 19th 2024 

The second phase of a mental health discovery project has identified seven key priorities to improve mental health services in Wales. Led by Digital Health and Care Wales, the project focuses on how to use digital, data and technology to better meet individual needs and achieve improved outcomes.  

In 2023, DHCW worked with organisations who deliver mental health services in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region to understand the challenges they face. They found problems with accessing and sharing data, a lack of up-to-date information on demand and capacity and the need for an all-Wales electronic health record to improve planning and care.  

At the start of 2024, DHCW shared these findings with the six other regions and national organisations involved in delivering mental health services. The findings were used to create a national picture of the challenges and opportunities to improve mental health services.  

The second phase of the project showed that different regions use different models to deliver care. This leads to unequal health outcomes and limits data-sharing, due to the lack of digital tools being used in mental health services to collect consistent data. The project also emphasised that mental health needs to be given the same priority as physical health.  

Sam Hall, Director of Primary, Community and Mental Health Digital Services at DHCW, said: “Delivering quality mental health services is a complex and multiskilled activity, spanning across a wider range of services inside and outside of NHS Wales. This discovery helped us to understand what the ‘must dos’ are to improve the service for both those who need it and those who deliver it.  I am so pleased that the Strategic Programme for Mental Health has been established and will be a vehicle to help address the findings of this powerful discovery.” 

Seven priorities were developed to transform mental health services  

  1. Standardising care delivery – Work with health boards to use digital and data to standardise the way care is delivered. This will improve information sharing and help provide more coordinated care.  

  1. Integrated citizen care record - People in crisis need urgent help and may find it hard to repeat their history. An integrated citizen care record would follow a person through their care journey, reducing the need to repeat information.  

  1. Digital tools for care - With many organisations offering mental health services, it can be confusing to find the right help. Digital tools can guide people to the right services and help them manage their own health and wellbeing.  

  1. Digital confidence – Replace paper records with digital tools and ensure that practitioners, patients and the public feel confident using them. This will lead to better information sharing, security and improved patient outcomes.  

  1. National dataset for mental health - Create consistent standards for collecting data across different services and regions to build a national picture of the demand for mental health services. Two health boards are currently piloting a national mental health dataset. 

  1. Digital inclusion – Develop a strategy to ensure everyone in Wales can access digital services. DHCW has been praised for its efforts in promoting digital skills and helping those who are digitally excluded. 

  1. Co-produced business cases – Use insights from previous business cases to focus on the benefits that digital tools and data can provide.  

These seven priorities will form part of a digital and data workstream, overseen by the Strategic Programme for Mental Health. Further engagement will take place with stakeholders to build a more detailed picture and put the recommendations from the discovery work into action. Citizens and service users will also be able to share their experiences of accessing mental health services.