[EQ] New WHO Toolkit to help countries protect the rights and dignity of people with mental health conditions

WHO QualityRights Tool Kit

Assessing and improving quality and human rights in mental health and social care facilities

Michelle Funk and Natalie Drew, Mental  Health Policy and Service Development, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
 World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland June 2012

Available online PDF [144p.] at: http://bit.ly/Ns4E6v

Website: http://bit.ly/MEFJpJ

15 June 2012 -- WHO has released the QualityRights Tool Kit, which supports countries in their assessment and improvement of the quality and human rights of their mental health and social care facilities. The Tool Kit is an essential resource, not only for putting an end to past neglect and abuses but also for ensuring high quality services in the future.

The WHO QualityRights tool kit provides countries with practical information and tools for assessing and improving quality and human rights standards in mental health and social care facilities. The Toolkit is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It provides practical guidance on:

·         the human rights and quality standards that should be respected, protected and fulfilled in both inpatient and outpatient mental health and social care facilities;

·         preparing for and conducting a comprehensive assessment of facilities; and

·         reporting findings and making appropriate recommendations on the basis of the assessment.

The tool kit is designed for use in low-, middle- and high-income countries. It can be used by many different stakeholders, including dedicated assessment committees, nongovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions, national health or mental health commissions, health service accreditation bodies and national mechanisms established under international treaties to monitor implementation of human rights standards and others with an interest in promoting the rights of people with disabilities.

The WHO QualityRights tool kit is an essential resource, not only for putting an end to past neglect and abuses but also for ensuring highquality services in the future

Content:

1.         Introduction .

2.         WHO QualityRights tool kit

3.         Who can use the tool kit? .

4.         Establish a project management team and objectives .

5.         Establish an assessment framework .

6.         Establish the assessment committee(s) and their working method .

7.         Train the members of the assessment committee(s) .

8.         Establish the authority of the committee(s)

9.         Prepare consent forms and seek ethical approval .

10.        Schedule and conduct the assessment

11.        Observe the facilities

12.        Review facility documentation

13.        Interview service users, family members (or friends or carers) and staff

14.        Report the results of the assessment .

15.        Use the results of the assessment

Annex 1. Principles of recovery-oriented mental health practice .

Annex 2. Legal capacity and supported decision-making .

Annex 3. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Annex 4. Themes, standards and criteria of the WHO QualityRights tool kit

Annex 5. Examples of sample sizes for different types of facilities, according to number of staff and service users .

Annex 6. Sample consent forms for interviewees participating in an assessment

 

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