MHC and HIQA publish guide supporting staff in care services to put national standards into practice
The Mental Health Commission and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) have today published a practical guide to support staff in health, mental health and social care services who are involved in implementing national standards.
This guide, ‘How to Put National Standards into Practice: An Implementation Guide for Health, Mental Health and Social Care Services’, was developed in collaboration with HIQA, the MHC and other stakeholders.
The guide acts as a supporting resource for service providers, helping them to understand what national standards are, what they mean for their service and how to put national standards into practice in their own service setting, using a collaborative approach.
HIQA and the MHC encourage services to use this guide to reflect on and identify opportunities to improve the quality and safety of their service, using national standards as a resource for quality improvement.
Rachel Flynn, Director of Health Information and Standards in HIQA said: “We are delighted to publish this guide in collaboration with the Mental Health Commission on how to put national standards into practice. The guide is informed by a thorough review of research evidence and extensive engagement with stakeholders. We believe it provides a helpful and practical resource for health, mental health and social care services to implement national standards and drive quality and safety.”
Gary Kiernan, Director of Regulation at the Mental Health Commission welcomed the publication of the new implementation guide: “This guide is being launched at a particularly pertinent time for mental health services. The recently published Mental Health Bill provides for the expansion of regulation to include community mental health residences and community mental health teams. It is envisaged that the guide will become a resource that services can use to prepare for regulation, and for all mental health services to deliver quality and excellence.”
The guide is available for download at the link How to Put National Standards into Practice
