Person centred care plans - new guide for mental health and learning disability services

The Mental Welfare Commission today published a new guide for nurses and other clinical staff in Scotland on creating care plans for patients with mental ill health, dementia or learning disability.

A care plan describes the care and treatment an individual should receive. It is a written record of needs, actions and responsibilities. 

Care plans are a crucial part of supporting and helping the process of recovery.

Alison Thomson, executive director (nursing) at the Mental Welfare Commission, said: 

‘We wrote this new guide because when visiting services we increasingly find that the quality of care plans, and the level of participation by the patient or person using services, vary considerably. 

‘Everyone using mental health, dementia and learning disability services has the right to a care plan which is personal to them. 

‘They also have a right to be involved in developing their care plan, to know what is in their care plan, and to be involved in writing their care plan.

‘We hope that this new guide will be shared widely and used by services across Scotland to help improve care plans, and to ensure that the needs and aspirations of people using services have been taken into account.’

The guide was produced after wide consultation. The Commission heard from almost 150 people at a series of meetings across the country, including people with experience of mental illness, relatives/carers, people with dementia or acquired brain injury and advocacy workers.

The Commission also held a specific event where 60 people including nursing staff, relatives/carers, educators and people with experience of mental ill health worked together to agree a view of what a good care plan should look like.