Mental health quality and outcome measurement and improvement in Scotland

This review considers Scotland's approach to improving the quality of mental health services.

Scotland's mental health quality and outcomes framework focuses on improving both the effectiveness of care delivered and the experience of using services. It now has to deliver this within the context of an increased drive to improve efficiency. The framework supports improving both the skills of those delivering care and the design of the systems they work in. The use of information to drive improvement is key, and the Scottish Government is supporting this focus through the use of National Targets, the Scottish Benchmarking Programme and the Scottish Mental Health Collaborative.

Scotland's mental health quality and outcomes framework has a clear focus on the intelligent use of information and targets. Developing and refining our approach in partnership with key stakeholders has enabled a culture of trust over the use of information. The service is willing to collect it, analyse its meaning and redesign clinical practice and services to improve performance.