Additional Critical thinking stop point for Chapter 8 (1)

Over recent years considerable policymaking effort has been put into improving public understanding of mental health issues, and in tackling stigma and discrimination. A notable example is Time to Change (http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/), supported by the Department of Health in England and led by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. Activities organised through Time to Change have included a focus on mental health in the workplace, in schools and with professionals. 

How far do you think attitudes and knowledge about mental health and illness have changed in the last five years? If you were advising Time to Change on its strategy for the next five years, what would you suggest, and why?

Additional Critical thinking stop point for Chapter 8 (2)

Led by the Alzheimer’s Society, the Dementia Friends initiative (https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/) has led to over a million people throughout England and Wales being trained to improve understanding of dementia and to model helpful ways of relating to people living with memory difficulties in everyday situations. New efforts are also being made to improve the scientific understanding of dementia, and to create better services for people living with dementia and their families.

Dementia is often described as one of the greatest health and social care challenges of our time. This may help us to understand its emergence as a priority area for government, professionals and charities. But how, more generally, do specific areas of health need rise to the top of the political and policymaking agenda? How can nurses influence the policymaking process? If you were advising government on mental health priorities for the next five years, what would they be and why?

Additional Critical thinking stop point for Chapter 8 (3)

Care planning for people using mental health services has attracted sustained policymaking attention over the last 25 years. The care programme approach (CPA) was initially launched in England at the start of the 1990s, being periodically revisited from that time. However, recent research has shown that people using services and professionals pay little attention to care plans once they are written (Simpson et al. 2016). This suggests a gap between the policy aspiration and the practice reality.

If you were advising your local NHS trust or health board on making care planning more meaningful, what recommendations would you make, and why?