Scottish Borders Mental Health Needs Assessment
Figure 8 Consultancy Services Ltd. was commissioned by Scottish Borders Council in June 2013 to carry out a comprehensive mental health needs assessment project; and fieldwork took place between July 2014 and October 2014. This Needs Assessment is a report that presents an overview and analysis of the mental health needs (excluding dementia) for adults of working age, to mental health stakeholders across the Scottish Borders; and will form an important and independent component to inform future mental health planning and service provision across Tiers 0-4.
The purpose of this study is to assist Scottish Borders Joint Mental Health Service and its partner agencies to:
- Identify the ‘bigger picture’ in terms of the health and wellbeing needs and inequalities of those with mental health problems;
- Establish a process that will identify the existing and future needs of those with mental health problems;
- Map services and the way they are used; and
- Analyse and enable the prioritisation of services; and therefore inform commissioning requirements.
To provide a comprehensive assessment and mapping of specialist and non-specialist services for those with mental health problems;
- To conduct an assessment of local need for such services;
- To identify gaps and areas of unmet need in current provision;
- To examine the current use of services, both community and inpatient;
- To examine the accessibility, appropriateness and location of current services;
- To identify any areas with over-provision;
- To provide evidence based recommendations as to how services could be extended or adapted to meet need including relationship and any overlap between agencies; and
- To suggest locality pathways for intervention and support for those with mental health problems.
‘The Scottish Borders Joint Mental Health Service recently commissioned Andy Perkins and his company Figure 8 to conduct a mental health needs assessment. Throughout the process, working with Andy and his team has been an extremely positive experience. Andy’s personable manner when meeting with him and his active listening and attention to detail have ensured that the assessment has been conducted in a thorough and systematic way. Over and above this however there has been a flexibility in approach that has ensured that problems have been quickly fixed when identified and care has been taken to adjust approaches depending on which stakeholder was being engaged with. Andy has received feedback very constructively and acted swiftly on jointly discussed resolutions when needed. The quality of the work undertaken and the subsequent report that has been produced has been extremely high and very much in the vein of the overall approach taken by him and his company. We will hopefully have cause to do business with Figure 8 in the future.’ (2015)
Bryan Davies (Group Manager, Mental Health and Addictions, Scottish Borders Council)
Following completion of the Needs Assessment Figure 8 was awarded a follow-on contract to evaluate five of the locally commissioned mental health services in the Borders. Figure 8 has also co-facilitated three workshops with service users, families, carers and professional stakeholders to review and prioritise the recommendations of the Needs Assessment report.
Website Design by