Supporting the sector
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Background
Te Pou is supporting district health boards (DHBs) to develop and embed structures and processes for collecting and using information in mental health services.
DHB mental health services have been preparing to collect and use outcome measures for three years. They have received funding from the Ministry of Health to carry out this work and have been supported by site coordinators to help with implementation plans and processes.
However, international experience of implementing outcomes projects shows that robust ongoing implementation support is required if we are to gain long-term commitment from clinicians and services to collect and use mental health information. This support needs to address the ongoing development of people (awareness, training, skills), processes and technologies, to ensure that information continues to be collected and used in the best ways. Without this, over time, people will stop.
What is Te Pou doing?
To provide this support, Te Pou will work with the DHB site coordinators to identify and plan how this happens. The aim is to make the DHBs' use of mental health information activity data and outcomes measures sustainable. Although each DHB has unique requirements, to maintain uniformity areas that will be covered are management, communication, information quality, information utility, workforce, IT infrastructure, the site coordinator role and key stakeholder involvement.
In addition, Te Pou is committed to building a core group of leaders, advocates and champions within key stakeholder groups who can lead the way in which information is collected and used. This group will include service user advisors, clinicians, Maori, Pacific, Asian, team leaders, managers, clinical directors and data analysts, at all levels and across all disciplines within mental health services. The aim is that eventually there will be enough internal capacity in the sector to collectively lead the mental health information agenda in mental health services.
More information
For more information, contact Laurie Hakiwai, clinical lead implementation.
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Page last updated: 22 May 2009