Hafal National Service User Champion Sue Barnes has urged legislators to ensure that the regulations in the Mental Health Wales Measure “prescribe a holistic care and treatment plan and that the plan addresses service users as individuals.”
Writing in the first of her monthly columns for the Western Mail Sue said: “Service users, such as myself, need to keep fighting for the best possible outcome.
“The new law, which received Royal Assent last week, gives service users the right to a care and treatment plan – but it is the regulations which deal with the content of that plan, and these are currently being worked on.
“Any old content will not do. If the plan simply talks about medication and treatment then it’s not much use.
“We need to ensure the regulations prescribe a holistic care and treatment plan and that the plan addresses service users as individuals with the need not just for treatment but for a range of other things that contribute to good mental health, from employment to physical health.”
To read Sue’s column in full please visit: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/12/20/patient-s-voice-we-need-to-keep-fighting-for-better-mental-health-services-91466-27852917/
For more information on Hafal please visit: www.hafal.org