Dr Foster Intelligence

Exploring the information available in mental health is a complex task and agreeing upon a basic set of information for trusts calls for robust debate. The Intelligent Mental Health Board report has done just that and was launched as the final report in the Intelligent Board series.

Download a free copy of the report (PDF)

The report addresses the lack of standardised data collection in mental healthcare organisations by creating a framework of minimum information requirements for trust boards.

Led by a steering group of experts, the report aims to identify the challenges faced by trusts and provides a flexible template to use in addressing the variable levels of data accuracy and quality.

Key recommendations from the report are that trust boards need to:

• Focus on strategic issues
• Work towards achieving a structured, explicit set of goals
• Use information that shows trends and forecasts in order to anticipate future performance
• Analyse information that shows the appropriate level of detail in as near to real time as possible

"There is an urgent need for a significant improvement in the quality of information and its standardisation across all trusts and PCTs. I hope all mental health boards will find the information in this report useful. As with the previous reports, the indicators are not intended to be prescriptive but are to provide an information base from which individual trusts can develop to reflect their particular requirements," said Sir William Wells, chairman of the steering group and former chairman of NHS Appointments Commission.

Download a free copy of the report (PDF)