This is a law made by the National Assembly for Wales to help people with mental health problems in four different ways.

Mental Health Measure Wales

The Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 is a new law made by the National Assembly for Wales which will help people with mental health problems in four different ways.

The Measure aims to ensure that appropriate care is in place across Wales which focuses on people’s mental health needs. You can access more information from the Welsh Government site about the measure here.

The Measure places duties on Local Health Boards and Local Authorities in Wales and data collection mechanisms are used to monitor and evaluate how well each area in Wales is doing.

For more information about Part 1 of the Measure and for data definitions for the information collected click here.

For more information about Parts 2 and 3 of the Measure and for data definitions for the information collected click here.

For more information about Part 4 of the Measure and for data definitions for the information collected click here.

Local Primary Mental Health Support Services

The Measure will make sure that more services are available for your GP to send you to if you have mental health problems such as anxiety or depression. These services, which may include, for example, counselling, stress and anxiety management, will either be at your GP practice or nearby so it will be easier to get to them.

This Part of the Measure requires Local Health Boards and Local Authorities to work together to establish Local Primary Mental Health Support Services across Wales. You can access information about Part 1 from Welsh Government here.

You will also be told about other services which might help you, such as those provided by groups such as local voluntary groups or advice about money or housing.

From 1 October 2012 your GP can support you to access new services which will be available locally to help people with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, memory loss, and behavioural and emotional difficulties.

You can download a poster about this here.

Find out more about getting help from your GP here.

Care Coordination and Care and Treatment Planning

Some people have mental health problems which require more specialised care and support, (sometimes provided in hospital). If you are receiving these services then your care and treatment will be overseen by a professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse or social worker.

These people will be called Care Coordinators and will write you a care and treatment plan – working with you as much as possible. This plan will set out the goals you are working towards and the services that will be provided by the NHS and the local authority to help you reach them. This plan must be reviewed with you at least once a year.

Part 2 of the Measure places duties on Local Health Boards and Local Authorities in Wales to work together. You can access more information about Part 2 from Welsh Government here.

Assessment of people who have used specialist mental health services before

This part of the Measure allows easier access back into secondary mental health services for people who have been previously discharged. You can access information about Part 3 from Welsh Government here.

If you have received specialised treatment in the past and were discharged because your condition improved, but now you feel that your mental health is becoming worse, then you can go straight back to the mental health service which was looking after you before and ask them to check whether you need any further help or treatment. You don’t need to go to your GP first, although you may wish to talk it through. You can ask for this up to three years after you are discharged from the specialist team.

This came into force on 6th June 2012 for patients who have been discharged from the care of secondary mental health services in Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom since 6th June 2010.

If you have been discharged from a Community Mental Health Team in Powys you should have been given the contact details and details about how to request an assessment directly. Your local Community Mental Health Team contact details are below:

Brecon & District

Address: Bridge Street, Llanfaes, Brecon LD3 8AH
Tel: 01874 711661

Llandrindod Wells

Address: The Hazels, Temple Street, Llandrindod Wells LD1 5HF
Tel: 01597 825888

Newtown & District

Address: Fan Gorau, Llanfair Road, Newtown SY16 2DW
Tel: 01686 617 300

Welshpool

Address: Bryntirion, Salop Road, Welshpool SY21 7DU
Tel: 01938 555076 / 01938 558969

Ystradgynlais

Address: The Larches, Penrhos, Ystradgynlais SA9 1QL
Tel: 01639 849994

Independent Mental Health Advocacy

This Part of the Measure ensures all inpatients in Wales who are receiving assessment or treatment for a mental disorder are entitled to request support from an Independent Mental Health Advocate. You can access information about Part 4 from Welsh Government here.

Advocacy can lead to an improved experience of mental health services for individuals; it can create choice, improve involvement in decision making, and promote access to a range of different services.

The measure will enable you to access help and support from an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) if you are under the Mental Health Act 1983 (formal patients) and if you are in hospital informally (voluntary patients). New statutory duties will ensure help and support is available for ALL inpatients so that advocacy will assist them in making informed decisions about their care and treatment, and support them in getting their voices heard.

Powys advocate contact details are below:

Mental Health Advocacy Contacts

North Powys

Lynda Evans

Address: The Old College, Station Road, Newtown SY16 1BE
Tel: 07736 120 924

South Powys

Kirstie Morgan

Address: Room 36, Neuadd Brycheiniog, Cambrian Way, Brecon, Powys LD3 7HR
Tel: 01874 615996 or 07967 808 145
Useful videos

Wales Mental Health in Primary Care (WaMH in PC) has made a series of short videos to help primary care staff across Wales to understand Part 1 of the Mental Health Measure.

Training resources

The Welsh Government has prepared some training resources to help anyone to increase their understanding of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010.

They have been developed in partnership between the Welsh Government, service users, carers, third sector organisations, Health Boards and Local Authorities.

They include topics such as an overview of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure, what service users want from care and treatment planning, the role of care co-ordinators and the requirements of Care and Treatment plans.

Further information

You can read a Hafal guide to the Mental Health (Wales) Measure.

You can link to 10 interesting facts about the Mental Health Measure.

If you have any questions about the Mental Health Measure and what it means for you then you can contact:
mentalhealthandvulnerablegroups@wales.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 02920 370 011

If you have some information about the measure that you would like to share on this page then please get in touch with mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk or call the team 01686 628300.

Welsh Government Review 2014 - 15

Mental Health Measure 2010 Welsh Government Review 2014 – 15

Together for Mental Health sets out the Welsh Government’s ambitions for improving mental health and its vision for 21st century mental health services.

The Mental Health Measure 2010 is a unique piece of legislation which provides a legal framework for improving mental health services in Wales.

Section 48 of the Measure placed a duty on the Welsh Ministers to review the operation of the Measure within four years of commencement.

The ‘Duty to Review’ Report has now been published and is available here.

Post-legislative scrutiny of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010

The National Assembly for Wales’s Health and Social Care Committee undertook post-legislative scrutiny in 2014 to assess the implementation and operation of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010, in particular by:

  • assessing the extent to which the stated objectives of the Measure are being achieved;
  • identifying whether there are any lessons which can be learned or good practice shared from the making and implementation of the Measure and the associated subordinate legislation and guidance;
  • assessing whether the Measure has represented, and will continue to represent, value for money.

The committee published its report in January 2015, containing 10 recommendations, which you can read here.

The Welsh Government responded to the report’s recommendations in February 2015, and you can read the response here.

There was a Welsh Assembly debate on the recommendations on 4 March 2015. You can read the record of proceedings (start at 15.09) here.

The Active Offer

The Active Offer is one of the key principles of ‘More than just words…’, a strategic framework designed for health, social services and social care that was issued by the Welsh Government to support Welsh services in these fields.