Press Release
Issued on:17/4/2002
Issued by: Mary Weir, Chief Executive Officer, National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) National Office
For immediate release

NSF (Scotland) welcomes publication of the First National Overview of Clinical Standards for Schizophrenia

The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS) today launched the first national report on how the NHS in Scotland is performing against the Clinical Standards for Schizophrenia published in January 2001.

NSF (Scotland) welcomes the fact that the publication of these Standards was prioritised as one of the first tasks undertaken by CSBS.

Family members and carers from the Fellowship were closely involved in the development of the Standards, thus ensuring that they reflect many of the issues and concerns of carers and service users. This involvement extended to participation in the peer reviews of 6 of the 11 Standards, which took place in all Primary Care Trusts in Scotland during 2001.

For the first time, we have detailed information about the quality of healthcare services for people in Scotland who are affected by the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The findings confirm many of NSF (Scotland)'s concerns. These include the need:

  • for a systematic, flexible approach to giving information to service users and carers - about the illness, its treatment, sources of support inside and outside the NHS, and about ways that carers and service users can begin to rebuild their lives.
  • for informed debate about barriers to information sharing with carers, including issues related to service users' rights to confidentiality
  • to involve carers and family members in developing plans of care
  • to provide adequate levels of social and psychological elements of care to service users
  • for independent advocacy and support for carers as well as service users

The Report gives invaluable 'baseline' information which can be used to promote positive change. Over the coming months, NSF (Scotland) will identify ways in which the expertise of our organisation's members and service users can contribute to improvements in NHS services. We will offer this support and input nationally and, where possible, locally.

We will also monitor the impact of this Report on the development of positive changes in services, and will use examples of good practice in different areas to promote changes in other parts of Scotland.

NSF (Scotland) believes that good care from NHS services is a very important part, but not the only part, of the wider pattern of care required by people with schizophrenia and their families.

Others include access to social care, an adequate income, meaningful daytime activity, and suitable accommodation. Significantly greater resources are needed to bring the Cinderella of services up to the level required for these, and other, Standards to be met in full.

Copies of the National Overview, and the reports on each Trust/Island NHS Board/special health board, are available on the CSBS website (www.clinicalstandards.org ) or in print format from CSBS (tel. 0131 623 4300)

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Mary Weir               Ian Harper
Chief Executive         Information Officer
NSF(Scotland)           NSF(Scotland)
0131 557 8969           0131 557 8969            
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