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Listen
Well? Issue 4: Spring/Summer 2004
Evidence into Practice: making it happen
the work of NHS Health Scotland
Emma Hogg, NHS Health Scotland,
Mental Health Research Officer
As part of the National Programme's support activities, NHS Health Scotland is taking the lead in supporting and implementing a programme of work to disseminate both the evidence and other helpful information relevant to mental health improvement in Scotland.
The programme will build on NHS Health Scotland's current activities leading to a longer-term programme for information provision and knowledge transfer and will link with the National Programme's key aims and priority areas.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Prior to beginning the programme of work, an information needs assessment was carried out with practitioners and policy makers across Scotland. This research provided clear guidance on the types of information required to support mental health improvement.
This included:
conceptualising mental well-being
local projects (to avoid duplication of effort and to capture and share learning on both what is working and what is not)
local and national indicators
connections between the well-being agenda and other national and local targets/policies
evidence of effectiveness
For the full report on the Information Needs Assessment go towww.hebs.com/research
FUTURE PLANS
In response to the needs assessment, future plans for the programme will include:
Building and Disseminating the Evidence Base
A co-ordinated programme of work to provide access to the evidence base will seek to:
bring together evidence of effectiveness for mental health improvement combined with practical implementation knowledge
identify gaps in the evidence base and make recommendations for new research
convert evidence and practice knowledge into advice and guidance for mental health improvement
increase and support capacity to translate both evidence
into practice and evidence
from practice.
With respect to supporting evidence
into practice, the programme will seek to assess different methods of evidence utilisation and knowledge transfer, eg. "knowledge brokers", training and development initiatives, tools and guidance.
With respect to evidence
from practice, the programme will seek to develop capacity building initiatives related to programme development and evaluation, as well as initiatives to encourage and support the documentation, publication and dissemination of local and national work.
"Evidence into Practice" workshops
Following the National Programme-funded "Evidence into Practice" workshops in every health board area last year, two further workshops took place in March 2004 aimed at national level organisations including NHS Health Scotland, Scottish Executive, COSLA, Voluntary Health Scotland, Communities Scotland, members of the National Advisory Group and other relevant national organisations.
Post training evaluation has also been commissioned on both the regional and national workshops to be completed in June 2004.
Policy analysis
A review of Scottish Executive policy is being commissioned to collate and summarise the relevant policies from each government sector and department, and to make links with, and clarify targets for, each policy in relation to the mental health improvement agenda in Scotland.
Evaluation guides
General evaluation guides are being completed, aimed at supporting the evaluation of mental health promotion initiatives and the dissemination of related findings. These guides may later be used to support training and workshop initiatives on evaluation.
Examples of effective practice
To share learning across Scotland, work on identifying and reporting case studies of effective mental health improvement practices will be completed in 2004.
Web development
A website will provide co-ordinated access to reliable evidence and other relevant information as developed by this evidence and information programme, in addition to providing a gateway to other relevant sites.
The website will link with, and complement, the National Programme's website.
www.wellontheweb.net
Emma Hogg
NHS Health Scotland
t: 0131 536 5504
e:emma.hogg@hebs.scot.nhs.uk
National Indicators Dr Jane Parkinson, NHS Health Scotland,
Public Mental Health Project Manager
Taking the temperature of Scotland's mental health... A three-year project began in December 2003 which will ultimately provide a measure of the state of mental health and well-being of the Scottish population. It sounds quite a tall order, but Dr Jane Parkinson, public health project manager with NHS Health Scotland, is currently working on producing a set of indicators, or measurements, which will provide a summary of Scotland's mental health profile, covering both positive mental health and mental ill health. "We're currently identifying what an ideal set of indicators would look like and determining what relevant data is currently available at both a national and local level," Jane explains. "Over time the indicators will monitor the state of mental health and well-being in Scotland which is vital to the development of a comprehensive mental health monitoring system. This will allow us to see if Scotland's mental health and well-being is improving. "As well as reviewing relevant literature, the project involves extensive consultation and discussion with people in Scotland and further afield. From this, we'll be able to determine a practical set of sustainable mental health indicators. We'll also be able to identify any gaps in information currently available. Crucial to the success of the project will be the many links and partnerships that we'll develop throughout the consultation and discussion period." Jane Parkinson
t: 0141 300 1028
e:jane.parkinson@phis.csa.scot.nhs.uk |
Mental Health First Aid
Wilma Reid,
NHS Health Scotland,
Training Manager
As part of the National Programme's aim to raise awareness and promote mental health and well-being, NHS Health Scotland is leading the implementation of a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) project in Scotland, aimed at a variety of different groups including health workers and teachers, public sector workers and the general public.
Wilma Reid, education and training manager for NHS Health Scotland, explains more:
"Mental Health First Aid was developed by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. The training equips people with knowledge and information on mental health and mental illness, helps them take action in a mental health crisis and to recognise the early onset of mental health problems in others and themselves.
"There's no actual treatment administered and the course doesn't train someone to be a counsellor or psychotherapist. However, it does train participants in the importance of non-judgemental listening, how to assess whether someone is at risk, encourages the person to seek appropriate professional help, where to go for help and, very importantly, what to expect.
"A recent formal evaluation carried out in Australia has shown that people who attended the course improved their knowledge and confidence in helping others, and reduced any negative attitudes they may have had about mental health problems. It also improved their own mental health."
Fifteen MHFA instructors have already been trained and the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC) is currently managing the pilot across a wide range of settings in Scotland including the prison and ambulance service, further education, the voluntary sector and community health projects. The MHFA work in Scotland has also been invited to present its work at a European conference on educating the public in mental health in Slovenia in May.
"The programme proved to be extremely successful in Australia and we're carrying out our own evaluation. When the results of this are known after the pilot is completed in May, we'll also tailor the training and materials for the Scottish context before rolling it out across Scotland later in the year. We've already had a considerable amount of interest from people all over Scotland who want to become mental health first-aiders."
A conference on the MHFA pilot is planned for Thursday 1 July, which will explore in detail the findings of the pilot project and help shape the future MHFA course for Scotland.
For further information contact
Sarah Shimmen,
Scottish Development Centre
t: 0131 555 5959
e:sarah@sdcmh.org.uk
www.mhfa.com.au
www.wellontheweb.net
MARTIN RAYMOND IS HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR NHS HEALTH SCOTLAND: "Improving Scotland's mental health and well-being is important for a number of reasons. First, mental health is important for its own sake; if you ask someone if they would prefer to be 'happy' or 'healthy' they're most likely to say 'happy' as this emotion is fundamental to our existence. "And because mental health is less tangible and more elusive than physical health, the importance of good mental health is then neglected - or at least not given the same priority as the more traditional topics of physical health. "But mental health and well-being are also crucial to promoting good physical health as the two are so closely connected. Take substance abuse, for instance, or the impact of healthy eating and exercise on people who are overweight or obese. These are health problems where mental and physical health are inextricably linked. "Positive mental well-being is essential to our sense of self, our body image, how we socially interact and so on. In fact, it's a critical part of our lives - so it has to be at the core of the health improvement agenda." |
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