New tools aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of mental health services for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism have been launched by the National Development Team for inclusion (NDTi).
The Green light toolkit 2013 aims to help mental health service providers review their own quality and to share and replicate good practice.
John Rouse from the Department of Health launched the tools at the recent Learning Disability Today conference. They update the Green light toolkit published by the Department in 2004.
The toolkit follows a 2012 study by the NDTi, commissioned by the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, which found that people with autism or learning disabilities can suffer a “double whammy” of setbacks if they need mental health support.
Stephen Dalton, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which represents NHS-funded mental health and learning disability service providers, welcomed the new toolkit and the opportunity it provides to focus attention on making services accessible for vulnerable individuals. “We need to see a comprehensive range of mental health services commissioned and gaps in provision addressed”, he said.
For further information, click here.
