Commitment 6
"NHS- QIS will develop the standards for ICPs for schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, depression, dementia and personality disorder by the end of 2007. NHS Board areas will develop and implement ICPs and these will be accredited from 2008 onwards."
What is an Integrated Care Pathway?
An Integrated Care Pathway is an agreement by a local, multidisciplinary, multi-agency group of staff and workers to provide a comprehensive service to a clinical or care group. ICPs are based on current views of good practice and any available evidence or guidelines and have mechanisms to track if patients are receiving all aspects of care detailed in the ICP.
What is being done to develop them?
Following consultation NHS- QIS has developed standards for ICPs for five mental health diagnoses schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, depression, dementia and personality disorder.
How will ICPs help?
ICPs encourage good practice and improve services for service users and carers. ICPs also provide a structure to find out where people are not getting the care they need ("gap analysis") and help to reduce variation in care accross Scotland.
What happens next?
NHS- QIS are working with NHS Boards to accredit local ICPs (from 2008)
Mental Health Division January 2008.