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inter-agency charter for mental health services in merseyside

The Inter-Agency Charter for Mental Health Services in Merseyside has been drawn up by the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium following discussions with a wide cross-section of people who are currently using mental health services in Merseyside. We welcome the examples of good practice that have been highlighted by these discussions.

However, we recognise that for many people, their experience of mental health services is a negative one. Compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act, however necessary, can leave people feeling humiliated and degraded. We expect that people will be treated with all due dignity and respect. Anything else is unacceptable. The Charter is based on what we hold to be basic human rights. We believe that high quality services can only be born out of common decency and mutual respect for one another as fellow human beings. They should be based firmly on the rights of the individual, promote independence and aim for recovery Those who adopt this charter are not merely rubber-stamping their achievements to date. They are accepting the challenge to change, and will measure that change against the following standards:

CHOICE
People need to be able to make informed choices about the services they use. Information should be made available about alternatives to the service being offered. There needs to be a range of real alternatives. People need to make up their own mind about major decisions about their care or support, and ones about their everyday life, where they live and what they do with their time. Any use of compulsion, coercion or restraint is by definition disempowering. People should be offered the least restrictive options available to them.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION
People need information on services, treatment/support, all alternatives to mainstream provision, medication and any possible side effects, their rights under the law, their notes/records, their diagnosis, who the workers and professionals involved in their life are, and what they are there to do. Information should be easy to access, understandable and offered freely at every opportunity.

STAFF
People need to be confident that the people who work with them are respected and valued professionals. This means that workers will be aware of the values of this Charter. They will show a respectful attitude towards people using services. They will have access to appropriate training or qualifications, and real opportunities for ongoing supervision, support and development.

WELCOME
A person’s first impressions of a service are of great importance. They should be introduced to staff and other service users. All workers should be easy to identify. Extra time should be available to reassure people, to tell them about the service and to remind them if they forget.

LISTENING
People need to be listened to, and to be taken seriously. This need is common to service users, carers, volunteers, workers, and agencies. People with problems may need to talk and to be heeded. The listener may need special training.

COMFORT
People need their physical environment to be safe, clean and comfortable. Food should be of high quality, decent quantity and culturally acceptable. People should have easy access to drinks whenever they want. People need privacy. There should be provision for the comfort of non-smokers as well as smokers.

COMPLAINTS
Services need to be open to criticism, and prepared to address concerns. People need complaints procedures to be clear, easily accessible, independent and time limited. They need to feel confident that in complaining they will not encounter recrimination of any sort. All people involved in a complaint need to feel they are being treated seriously and fairly. Complaints procedures should seek to resolve concerns to the satisfaction of both staff and complainant.

ADVOCACY
The wishes and views of the service user are central to quality services. These views should be sought at every stage of any planning process. People need to be encouraged by all involved to speak up for themselves and express their own opinions. People sometimes need to be encouraged to seek appropriate help from others. This might be a friend or relative, one of their peers, a specially trained independent advocate, or legal representation.

SAFETY
People need to feel secure when using services. This means ensuring their physical, mental and emotional safety. People need privacy. They need to be secure in the knowledge that confidentiality will be strictly observed according to appropriate policies. Mixed services may compromise the safety of vulnerable people, especially women. Common standards of behaviour should be agreed. They should apply to staff and service users alike.

ACCESS
Service providers should strive for equitable access to their services. They should be aware of the factors limiting access. These include acts of discrimination and fear of oppression on the grounds of sex, religion, race, culture, sexuality, disability, psychiatric labelling and popular stereotyping, as well as physical access to and geographical location of the service.

For further information about the Inter-Agency Charter, call 0151 707 8799, or click on the logo to email the Mental Health Consortium.

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