New guidance on risk assessment and management in adult mental health services

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey today issued new guidance on risk assessment and management in adult mental health services.

The guidance aims to ensure that appropriate systems are in place to manage and support anyone at significant risk who has been in contact with mental health services, including those people who are being treated in the community. New standardised screening and assessment tools will also be piloted to support implementation of the guidance.

Mr McGimpsey said: “This important guidance is the first stage in a comprehensive package which will eventually apply to all mental health and learning disability services, including child and adolescent mental health, addiction and forensic services.

“Our mental health and learning disability services face significant challenges in managing the risk posed by some service users, often over a long period. Reports on Serious Adverse Incidents by local Trusts and national initiatives aimed at tackling risk led me to establish a regional group to ensure appropriate risk assessment, and management procedures, are in place for this vulnerable group of people.

“A number of independent inquiry reports in recent years have also highlighted certain systems failures within mental health services. This new guidance is aimed at addressing these issues and improving services.

“I am grateful to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority for its review of Trusts’ current procedures and practices in this area, which is also published today and which helped to inform the development of this new guidance.”

Tools to implement the guidance aimed at standardising procedures are now to be piloted over a 12 week period in adult mental health services in all five Health and Social Care Trusts.

Notes to Editors:

1. Current guidance relates only to discharge from hospital to the community of people with a mental disorder who represent a risk of serious physical harm to themselves or to others. This guidance was issued in 2004. While transition from hospital to the community is a time of increased vulnerability for some patients, the shift advocated by the Bamford Review to provide more care for people in the community without admission to hospital makes it imperative that risk assessment and management are in place for all people in contact with mental health services.
2. The Department set up a regional Steering Group to develop guidance on risk assessment and management in adult mental health services in 2006. The work of the group was informed by the reporting by local Trusts of Serious Adverse Incidents, the report of the McCleery Independent Inquiry, which investigated a homicide by a person with a mental illness and by relevant national initiatives. The report of the O’Neill Independent Inquiry in March 2008 in relation to a similar incident highlighted recurring systems failures within mental health services.
3. Tools to implement the guidance are aimed at standardising procedures among the five Health and Social Care Trusts and are now to be piloted before finalising.
4. The new guidance will be supplemented later this year by addenda on specialist mental health services and on learning disability, which are currently being developed.
5. Also available for download on its website is a report by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority which helped the development of the guidance.
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