Recent Publications

This section is updated monthly and highlights the key policies and reports that have been recently published. All entries are dated with links to other sites to access the original document.

Public health and criminal justice: Promoting and protecting offenders' mental health and wellbeing

Posted: August 20 2010

This policy paper looks at a range of innovative programmes and interventions that target people and communities at high risk of social exclusion, poor mental health and offending.

View on the Centre for Mental Health website.

Implementing 'Fulfilling and rewarding lives'

Posted: August 06 2010

This consultation seeks views on the draft guidance to health and social care services. The guidance has been drafted to support the implementation of the Autism Strategy 'Fulfilling and rewarding lives'.

View on the Department of Health website.

The Commissioning Friend for Mental Health Services

Posted: April 16 2010

The recently revised mental health commissioning guide for health and social care commissioners.

View on the National Mental Health Development Unit website.

Mental health system reform: towards delivering New Horizons and Quality and Productivity

Posted: April 14 2010

This dear colleague letter discusses a number of significant system reforms which, from April 2010, will apply to mental health for the first time.

View the letter on the Department of Health website.

The NHS Performance Framework: implementation guidance 2010/11

Posted: April 14 2010

Guidance on application of the NHS Performance Framework to acute, ambulance and mental health trusts (non-foundation trusts) has been updated for 2010/11.

View on the Department of Health website.

Attitudes to mental illness 2010

Posted: April 06 2010

The latest national statistics on Attitudes to Mental Illness produced by the Department of Health were released on 30 March 2010 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

View the report on the Department of Health website.

World Class Commissioning March 2010 update

Posted: March 25 2010

The latest World Class Commissioning update includes details of WCC assurance and alignment with regulatory bodies.

View the update on the Department of Health website.

Working it out: employment for people with a mental health condition

Posted: March 25 2010

This NHS Confederation briefing examines the relationship between employment and mental health and looks at ways of getting mental health service users back to work.

Go to the NHS Confederation website.

Paths to Personalisation: A whole system, whole life framework

Posted: March 25 2010

This Mental Health Development Unit framework aims to help all those involved in developing personalised services and approaches for people with mental health needs to implement the necessary whole system changes effectively.

Go to the Paths to Personalisation website.

CQC publishes five year strategy for mental health regulation

Posted: March 24 2010

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a five year action plan on the regulation of mental health services which sets out their priorities for regulation and improvement in health and adult social care.

View the strategy on the CQC website.

Fulfilling and rewarding lives: the strategy for adults with autism in England

Posted: March 15 2010

The Government has published its first strategy aimed at delivering 'fundamental change' in service provision for the approximately 400,000 adults with autistic spectrum conditions (ASCs).

View the report on the Department of Health website.

Guide to relational security: See Think Act

Posted: March 15 2010

This publication is a suite of materials that the Department of Health has developed to assist people who work in secure mental health services to understand the concept of relational security.

View the publication on the Department of Health website.

Rising to the challenge: health priorities for government and the NHS

Posted: March 15 2010

In this report the NHS sets out what it sees as the major priorities facing it and what a new government will need to do post-election to develop patient care and create the necessary conditions for progress.

View the report on the NHS Confederation website.

Realising the benefits: IAPT at full roll-out

Posted: March 15 2010

This Department of Health publication details the next steps in the move towards the full roll out of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapy) services. The guidance provides support for established and developing services, focusing on quality standards and analysing the progress that has been made in rolling out services to date.

View the report on the Department of Health website.

Waiting on the wings: A review of the costs and benefits of secure psychiatric hospital care for people in the criminal justice system with severe mental health problems

Posted: March 15 2010

This report examines the prevalence of mental illness within the prison system and the costs associated with the treatment of those prisoners in both prison and in medium secure hospitals, and the financial savings that could be made if more prisoners received more appropriate, timely treatment.

View the report on the NHS Evidence website.

Statistics published on mentally disordered offenders

Posted: February 25 2010

The latest Ministry of Justice Statistics on mentally disordered offenders have been published and include information about patients admitted to, detained in, or discharged from psychiatric hospitals.

For more information visit the Ministry of Justice website.

Study published into cases of suicide among patients absconding from mental health services

Posted: February 25 2010

Professor Louis Appleby, national clinical director for mental health and other researchers at Manchester University have published a study which examines cases of suicide by people in contact with mental health services in England and Wales between 1997 and 2006.

View the report on the BMC website.

The NHS operating framework for England for 2010/11

Posted: February 01 2010

The operating framework for the NHS for 2010/11 sets out the priorities for the NHS for the year ahead to enable them to begin their planning.

View the framework and related links on the Department of Health website.

Results of survey on the state of mental well being in the North West is published

Posted: January 29 2010

The largest and most detailed investigation into the mental health and wellbeing of people in the North West has been published. The survey shows significant differences in levels of mental wellbeing and that there needs to be much greater attention and effort on improving mental wellbeing.

For more information visit the NHS Confederation website.

NHS Standard Contract & Guidance for Mental Health and Learning Disability published

Posted: January 29 2010

The new NHS standard contract for Mental Health and Learning Disability whas been published. It cover's agreements between PCTs and all types of provider delivering NHS funded mental health services.

View the contract on the Dept of Health website.

Keeping children and young people in mind: the Government's full response to the independent review of CAMHS

Posted: January 11 2010

The full Government response to the final report of the independent CAMHS review, setting out progress to date and plans for the future of children and young people's mental health.

View the publication on the Dept of Health website.

Too much of the hardstuff: what alcohol costs the NHS

Posted: January 11 2010

This NHS Confederation report published in association with the Royal College of Physicians argues that if alcohol consumption continues to rise at its current level then the burden on the NHS will become unsustainable.

View the publication.

Work, Recovery and Inclusion: Employment support for people in contact with secondary mental health services

Posted: January 11 2010

Work, Recovery and Inclusion is a new government delivery strategy that sets out a series of actions that will help meet the aspirations of people in contact with secondary mental health services who want to work.

View the publication.