Collective statement of intent from all Tayside Executive Partners

The Tayside Executive Partners are committed to making all the necessary improvements so that people from all communities across Tayside receive the best possible mental health and wellbeing care and treatment and those with mental ill health are supported to recover without fear of discrimination or stigma.

Together with people living with mental ill health, their families and carers, and our staff, we will immediately work on addressing the issues raised in the Independent Inquiry Report to build good quality mental health services that meet people’s needs and build a working environment that supports our staff.

As leaders of the response to the Independent Inquiry, we will:
• Immediately establish a Collaborative Strategic Leadership Group to oversee the urgent and essential actions required to improve mental health services and begin to restore public trust, respect and confidence in mental health services in Tayside.
• Strengthen our engagement and participation so that the voices of people with lived experience and their carers are amplified and remain strong as we co-design improvements to services to deliver a truly person-centred Tayside-wide Strategy for Transforming and Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing.
• Drive the development of the Tayside-wide Strategy which delivers support and services built on our commitment to fostering respectful relationships with people who use and work in our services.
• Commit to strengthening the Tayside Mental Health Alliance as a collaborative which brings together all partners and all aspects of mental health - from prevention and recovery, to community and hospital-based services.
• Reach out to, learn from and engage with other mental health systems, external experts and professional bodies to further develop leadership, culture, behaviours and attitudes which will strengthen the learning culture across mental health in Tayside.
• Work in partnership with staff and staff representatives to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute, learn, influence and shape the future of mental health services in Tayside.

We believe that through these commitments and the recognition of people’s lived experience we will put people at the centre of decisions about their support, care and treatment. We understand that good mental health contributes to improvements in people’s life circumstances and we are committed to working with people to ensure trusting, respectful relationships are at the heart of what we do.

Co-signatories: Grant Archibald, Margo Williamson, David Martin, Karen Reid, Chief Superintendent Andrew Todd

31 January 2020