Delivery of psychological therapies and interventions: national specification

Consultation

This part of the consultation asks questions about the overall intention of the specification, which you can find on pages 11 to 21 of the PDF.

If you have less time to complete the consultation, you may wish to focus on this part. It contains seven questions which will allow you to feedback on the specification overall. This part of the consultation may be of the most interest to people who have experience of accessing psychological therapies and interventions.

1. How far do you agree that the specification will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

2. How far do you agree that the specification will improve and outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

3. How far do you agree that the specification successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when they access psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

4. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that your needs are met, whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the specification will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

5. Do you have any suggestions for how the specification could help to ensure that there is more timely access to how people receive psychological therapies and interventions?

6. Do you have any other comments on the specification overall?

7. We want this specification to be as accessible and easy to understand as possible to those who access psychological therapies and interventions. Do you have any suggestions on how this could be improved?

Part of the consultation ask more detailed questions on each outcome and may take more time to complete.

This part of the consultation will now break down the specification into each outcome, to allow us to learn more about your thoughts on each.

Outcome 1 questions: High-quality care and support that is right for me

The detail of Outcome 1.

8. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing and using psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

9. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing and using psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

10. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome fully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when they access high-quality care and support?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

11. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

12. The statements within this outcome are intended to make sure that you get the right support that you need, all delivered by appropriately trained professionals. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

13. Do you have any other comments about the statements in Outcome 1?

Outcome 2 questions: I am fully involved in decisions about my care

The detail of Outcome 2.

14. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

15. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

16. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when being fully involved in the decisions about the care offered?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

17. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

18. The statements within this outcome are intended to support collaboration between professionals. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

19. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

Outcome 3 question: High-quality interventions and treatments that are right for me

The detail of Outcome 3.

20. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

21. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

22. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when accessing high-quality interventions and treatments?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

23. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and services. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

24. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will make sure the best results are achieved for you and others?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

25. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

Outcome 4 questions: My rights are acknowledged, respected and delivered

The detail of Outcome 4.

26. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

27. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

28. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when your rights are acknowledged, respected and delivered?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

29. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and services. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

30. The statements within this outcome should support you to be an equal partner in your care and make sure that values, rights-based, and person-centred approaches will be embedded in all practice. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

31. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

Outcome 5 questions: i am fully involved in planning and agreeing my transitions

The detail of Outcome 5.

32. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

33. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

34. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers how they will be fully involved in planning and agreeing any transitions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

35. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

36. The statements within this outcome are intended to support a smooth transfer of care and make sure that it is effectively planned, communicated, and implemented. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

37. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

Outcome 6 questions: we fully involve people, their families and carers

The detail of Outcome 6.

38. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

39. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

40. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when services fully involve people, their families and carers?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

41. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and services. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

42. The statements within this outcome are intended to make sure that services work in partnership with people, their families, and carers to shape aspects of service design, delivery and review. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

43. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

Outcome 7 questions: I have confidence in the staff who support me

The detail of Outcome 7.

44. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the experiences of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

45. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will improve the outcomes of people accessing psychological therapies and interventions?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

46. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome successfully sets out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect if they are to have confidence in staff who support you?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

47. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies and interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

48. The statements within this outcome are intended to support service delivery and staff wellbeing to make sure workloads are shared, fair and clear where specialist and enhanced practice types of care are offered. How far do you agree that the statements within this outcome will help do this?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

49. Do you have any other comments on this outcome?

This part of the consultation contains more detailed questions seeking initial views on what support services will need to implement the specification and around how to measure the specification. While we welcome everyone's views across the whole consultation, this part of the consultation may be of most interest to people with experience of working in or running services.

Implementation question

50. Overall, what support do you think services will need to implement the 7 outcomes of the National Specification for Psychological Services and Interventions?

Measurement questions

A key aim of the specification is that it is measurable. By measuring the delivery of services against the specification, we will be able to celebrate and share good practice, identify any issues and drive improvement in services. We will work with services to ensure that measurement doesn't add unnecessary burden and findings are used in a supportive way.

We are proposing that the specification is measured in two ways:

Firstly, by services across the country filling out a self-assessment tool to collect information and data to find out how the specification is being implemented across their services.

A self-assessment tool is a way for services to gather information to allow them to evaluate how well they are delivering against the specification. The tool will allow services to provide evidence to show that they are meeting the relevant outcomes of the specification, supporting them to recognise good practice and make necessary improvements to the services that they deliver.

It is proposed that this self-assessment would be a continual way to drive improvement in services over time. The number and frequency of self-assessments is still to be decided.

Secondly, we propose another way to measure performance, will be by collecting and publishing data on a number of indicators.

An indicator is information collected across the country that provides a measure of how well services are delivering against the specification. Service providers will be asked to submit data on these indicators, which will be analysed and published to allow the Scottish Government to understand how services are performing against the relevant standards and how well they are delivering for the people who use them.

It is proposed that this data on indicators would be collected, analysed and published on a regular basis. The frequency of collection is still to be decided.

51. How far do you agree that the specification should be measured using a validated self-assessment tool?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

52. How far do you agree that the specification should be measured using a range of indicators?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree or Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

We have included a few examples of ways we could measure the specification.

We are keen to gather your views about these initial suggestions, as well as any other suggestions you may have of how to evidence the successful implementation of the specification and measure progress against them.

In 2023, we will undertake further targeted engagement on measurement with key stakeholders following this consultation. Partners will have further opportunities to feed into this process of adapting and refining the self-assessment tool and indicators before they are agreed.

Validated Assessment Questions

Outcome 1 High Quality Care that is right for me	Relates to specification outcome
Evidence of agreeing goals and decisions with users and carers (where appropriate), co-designed care planning and use of feedback and peer support.	1.1, 1.2, 1.8, 1.12
Information and evidence of how often care plans are reviewed and shared with users themselves and other services.	1.1, 5.2, 5.5, 3.3
Evidence of co-designed care planning and use of feedback and peer support.	1.4
Outcome 2 I am fully involved in decisions about my care
Choices available to service users for a range of access and communication eg., contact, updates and access to information.	2.6, 2.7
Outcome 3 High quality interventions and treatments that are right for me
Outcome 4 My rights are acknowledged, respected and delivered
Documentation of services gather patient and workforce feedback and use it to inform quality improvements in how services are delivered.	4.6
Outcome 5 I am fully involved in planning and agreeing my transitions
Review of referral systems to make sure they are simple, consistent and efficient and review of communication channels between professionals and across services.	5.1. 5.2, 5.3
Outcome 6 We fully involve people, their families and carers
Choice available to services users around involvement of their families and carers	6.1, 6.2, 6.5
Outcome 7 I have confidence in the staff who support me
Data about staff training and their access to appropriate learning materials and supervision.	2.5, 7.5, 7.16

53. Do you have any other comments on the possible questions to include in the self-assessment, including any further suggestions?

Suggestions for possible indicators

Outcome 1 High Quality Care that is right for me	Relates to specification outcome
PT waiting times standard: 90% of people will start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. "I will be seen in a timely way. Regardless of where I live.	1.4, 1.5, 1.10, 2.6, 2.8
Equalities data about PT referrals and pathways will regularly published from Public Health Scotland's CAMHS and PT National Dataset (CAPTND) "unequal waits and unnecessary delays will be minimised." "This will include considerations of inequalities related to cultural, ethnic and other protected characteristics."	1.5, 1.11, 5.3
Outcome 2 I am fully involved in decisions about my care
First appointment ideally within 12 weeks.	2.6
Proportion of patient survey respondents who agree with the statements: "I was asked about my needs and my personal circumstances and requirements and these were considered in planning care and treatment."	2.2, 4.2
Outcome 3 High quality interventions and treatments that are right for me
Proportion of people whose referral included a copy of their care plan (CAPTND dataset)	3.3, 3.2, 3.4, 5.2, 5.5
"I was treated with kindness, compassion, dignity empathy, and respect when accessing services."	4.6
Outcome 5 I Am Fully Involved in Planning and Agreeing My Transitions User experience of their relationship with trained professionals and effectiveness of this relationship throughout their care journey.	5.1, 5.2
Outcome 7 I have confidence in the staff who support me
Mental Health Workforce staffing establishment and skill mix	7.1, 7.4, 7.8, 7.13

54. Please give us your views on these suggestions for possible indicators to include. Please provide any further suggestions for indicators you may have.

55. We know that currently not everyone has the same experiences or outcomes when they access psychological therapies or interventions. We want the specification to help make sure that services meet your needs whoever you are and whatever your background. How would you suggest that we support services to reduce inequalities in the outcomes and experiences of people who use services, including in the measurement of the specification?

Part 4: Responding to this consultation

Please respond to this consultation using the Scottish Government's consultation hub: Citizen Space (http://consult.gov.scot).

You can save and return to your responses while the consultation is still open. Please ensure that consultation responses are submitted before the closing date of 17 March 2023.

If you are unable to respond using our consultation hub, please complete the

Respondent Information Form to:

Mental Health and Wellbeing – Adult Secondary Standards
Scottish Government
Mental Health Directorate
St Andrew's House
Edinburgh, EH1 3DG

Handling your response

If you respond using the consultation hub, you will be directed to the 'About You' page before submitting your response. Please indicate how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are content for your response to published. If you ask for your response not to be published, we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

If you are unable to respond via Citizen Space, please complete and return the Respondent Information Form included in this document.

To find out how we handle your personal data, please see our privacy policy at

https://www.gov.scot/privacy/

Part 5: Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public at http://consult.gov.scot. If you use the consultation hub to respond, you will receive a copy of your response via email.

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us. Responses will be published where we have been given permission to do so. An analysis report will also be made available.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to the contact address above or at: ptspecification@gov.scot

Scottish Government consultation process

Consultation is an essential part of the policymaking process. It gives us the opportunity to consider your opinion and expertise on a proposed area of work. You can find all our consultations online at http://consult.gov.scot.

Each consultation details the issues under consideration, as well as a way for you to give us your views, online, either by email or by post.

Responses will be analysed and used as part of the decision-making process, along with a range of other available information and evidence. We will publish a report of this analysis for every consultation.

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• indicate the need for policy development or review
• inform the development of a particular policy
• help decisions to be made between alternative policy proposals
• be used to finalise legislation before it is implemented

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