www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Equality Impact Assessment - Mental Health Project
1. What is the name of the function, policy or service that is being assessed?
Both of the following documents are being assessed by this EIA:
- The Strategic Framework for Mental Health Services in Wiltshire (2007-2012)
- The Framework Mental Health Commissioning Plan for Adults of Working Age and Older People (2007-2012)
Wiltshire County Council and Wiltshire Primary care Trust are responsible for the content of both of these documents.
2. What are the aims of the function, policy or service? Whose needs it is designed to meet? What are the current priorities?
The strategic framework describes a vision for the direction and development of Mental Health services for adults of working age and older adults within Wiltshire. It is based on a whole system approach to addressing mental health need and promoting well-being. This document seeks to describe an overarching vision for the future; taking into consideration the current position and priorities of existing local services.
The priorities of this Strategy are:
- To promote better Mental Health and well-being
- To achieve better outcomes for those who use Mental Health services
- Ensure that services are flexible, relevant and appropriate
- To improve the quality of life and care experience for users and carers living with mental illness
The framework commissioning plan outlines the commissioning intentions of WCC and WPCT in addressing the mental health needs of adults of working age (18 - 65 year olds) and older people (65+ year olds) in Wiltshire. In so doing it sits below the strategic framework and delivers the vision that it sets out. The specific aims of this commissioning plan are to ensure that services are only commissioned after robust analysis of:
- The relevant national and local strategic context
- The current and future levels of demand for services
- What users and carers want from mental health services
- The current levels of service provision in, and where relevant, around Wiltshire
- The quality and cost effectiveness of existing services
- Best practice
3. In what ways might this function, policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service? Please ensure that you comment against each of the dimensions listed below and where no issues are identified that you state this clearly against the relevant dimension.
Age
The needs of people who experience mental health problems may be affected by their age, not least because some particular mental health problems may be age related. The attitude of the general population and the media towards people with mental health problems is different for different age groups, for example; dementia in older age is perceived as being more acceptable than schizophrenia or depression in younger adults.
Because people from different age groups have different needs; the framework strategy and commissioning plan set out different patterns of service provision for adults of working age and older people. Where appropriate service provision for people who experience functional or organic (dementia type) mental illness is dealt with separately, this is because these forms of mental illness have strong associations to age.
Allowances have been made in both documents to ensure that age related mental health provision is appropriate and does not prevent a person from accessing the full range of services. An example of this is the statement in both documents that older people will have access to generic older people’s services until such time as their mental health needs become the primary need.
The mental health needs of children and young people will not be directly met through the policies and commissioning intentions outlined in the two documents. However, both the strategy and the commissioning plan highlight good practice at the transition stage from children to adults’ services..
Disability
Both the strategy and commissioning plan accept mental health problems can be experienced by anyone at any time. The content of both documents is relevant to all the adult citizens of Wiltshire including those with disabilities.
In section 3.4 of the strategy and section 4.4 of the commissioning plan specific attention is given to services for people who experience disability alongside their mental health problems. These specific sections are included because we know that at present people who experience both disability and mental health problems do not necessarily receive the same quality of services to meet their needs. In order to improve this; we have committed ourselves in the commissioning plan to making the interface between services; flexible and innovative so that peoples needs are provided for. Both documents commit to providing both generic and specialist advocacy services which allow people with dual and multiple needs to engage with all parts of the mental health system.
Gender
No issues identified
Race
The strategy and commissioning plan accept that mental health problems can be experienced by anyone at any time. Therefore both documents are relevant to adult citizens of Wiltshire irrespective of race.
In section 3.3 of the commissioning plan includes the following specific commissioning intentions:
Commissioning Intention 7a: Ensure that newly commissioned and existing service providers operate policies and procedures that meet the needs of BME populations and meet national best practice.
Commissioning Intention 7b: Develop through the Wiltshire Local Implementation Team (LIT) anti discriminatory policies for all mental health services, to ensure that BME groups are not inappropriately over represented.
Commissioning Intention 7c: Provide joint awareness training for staff working with mental health service users.
Commissioning Intention 7d: Provide information in different languages to meet the needs of service users and carers.
Religion/belief
There can be variations between religions as to how mental illness is viewed, accepted or hidden away.
Sexual orientation
No issues identified
4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)? Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?
Age:
There is national research to show that clear links between age and the prevalence on certain mental health problems. See:
Singleton N, Bumpstead R, O'Brien M et al. Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000. Office for National Statistics. London: The Stationary Office, 2001. URL: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/psychmorb.pdf).
Alzheimer’s Society policy position paper on demography: URL: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/News_and_Campaigns/Policy_Watch/demography.htm
Disability:
Staff in Community Mental Health, Hearing and Vision, and Learning Disability teams have raised concerns about the interface between the teams. This has been raised in meetings and discussions.
Gender:
There is national research to show that clear links between gender and the prevalence on certain mental health problems. See:
Singleton N, Bumpstead R, O'Brien M et al. Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000. Office for National Statistics. London: The Stationary Office, 2001. URL: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/psychmorb.pdf).
Race:
There is clear evidence presented in section 3.3 of the commissioning plan to show that people from BME groups are disproportionately represented within Wiltshire’s mental health services. Furthermore there is a wealth of national evidence showing variations in the representation of minority groups in mental health services.
A useful summary ids provided by the mental health charity MIND: http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Factsheets/Statistics/Statistics+3.htm
Religion/belief:
A literature review has not discovered any research to identify any particular issues related to this group. However because it is suspected that there are variations between religions as to how mental illness is viewed - accepted or hidden away we will target different religious groups during consultation.
Sexual orientation:
A literature review has not discovered any research to identify any particular issues related to this group.
All documents that will be published will have an explanation in 4 of the most commonly used languages in Wiltshire to explain how copies in different formats can be obtained.
5. How and with whom have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?
Whilst developing the two documents extensive discussion and scrutiny form key stakeholders in mental health services in Wiltshire has taken place, this includes presentations to service users, carers and third sector groups as well as statutory partners. We have modified our work in relation to feedback from these events and our now about to engage in a three month formal consultation. This consultation will be broad and far reaching including feedback from groups that have a particular interest in equality and diversity issues. We will be using an electronic as well as a paper based consultation process via the ACKnowledge website.
All documents to be published will have an explanation in 4 of the most commonly used languages in Wiltshire to explain how copies in different formats can be obtained.
6. If you have found that the function, policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?
No adverse impact has been detected.
7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this? Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the function, policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?
N/A
8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the function, policy or service in future?
We have included a commitment to update the strategy and commissioning plan at regular intervals to ensure that they remain consistent with trends in data, legislation, policy and demand. This is likely to occur on an annual basis. However, if there are significant changes in resource allocation, legislation or policy both documents will be updated.
9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this EIA? Please include target dates for completion of actions and resource implications where possible.
We will include this EIA in our consultation documents. Following the consultation period we will review the content and appropriateness of the EIA.
10. If no actions have been identified in section 9 above, please state when a further review of this assessment is planned:
N/A
11. Name of person completing form
Project Assistant
Date assessment completed:
03/08/07
12. Name of senior manager approving assessment
Date assessment approved by senior manager:
03/08/07
Contact Details
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Equality & Diversity Team
Development Services
Wiltshire County Council
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Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
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