All credit to the Assembly Government for listening to patients and recognising what needs to be done right now about mental health. In their Annual Quality Framework for 2011/12 (see it here) they have not made a long list of priorities for mental health but rather placed a simple focus on just two, delivery of dementia and depression care packages and full compliance with the agreed CPA process.
This is a recognition both of the priority for people in highest need (CPA is of course for people receiving secondary mental health services) and the centrality of CPA for those patients as (i) the agreement of what care and treatment they need and (ii) the pathway to their recovery.
It is also important because the substantive core of the Mental Health Measure, which will have teeth from late this year if the timetable holds good, is the right to a (CPA) Care and Treatment Plan. The NHS and local authorities will want to clean up their act on CPA so that the Measure doesn't find them out in a few months time.
We all hope that the LHBs will get on with this target not waiting around for a steer from the Mental Health Programme Board which I fear has too big an agenda and needs to focus down on what really matters if it is to make any difference: they could do a lot worse than follow the lead of patients - and now the Government - who want a concentration on secondary services, CPA, the Measure, and recovery - that's really a single focus when you think about it...
