Our thanks go to Professor Peter Gilbert and the National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum for the item below

POLICY DRIVERS: Spirituality and Religion
There are an increasing number of policy drivers around Spirituality and Religious faith. As a legal and policy framework around equalities develops, and the cultural make-up of British society grows ever more diverse, there are a significant number  of  major policy imperatives  set by Government, and also expressed needs set  out  by people who use mental health  services:

• Personalisation, through the White Paper: Our Health Our Care, Our Say (2006), the 2007 Commissioning Framework for Health and Well-being, and Putting People First (December, 2007), the Government concordat  to transform adult social care.
• The need to create greater social cohesion and community well-being, as set forward in: Our Shared Future (2007).
• The Equalities legislative and policy agenda (‘Delivering Race Equality' now placed within a broader Equalities agenda, which includes ‘Religion and Belief')
• The accent on  promoting a healthier social and economic community, as promoted by Lord Layard.
• The need to meet the aspirations recorded by service users and carers in  surveys, research  and through inspection reports.
• The 2001 revised patient's Charter states that: NHS staff will respect your privacy and dignity. "They will be sensitive to and respect your religious, spiritual and cultural needs at all times" (p29).
• The clear evidence from research that  membership of Faith communities can improve physical and mental health.
• The importance of ethnicity and of  faith in individual and group identity. NB: The recent Leeds University research  (July, 2010) indicates a rise of ethnic diversity from 8% in 2010 to 20% in 2051. There will also be changes in where people live.
• Increased cost benefit analysis achieved through working with the motivations of individual service users, carers and community groups.
• The social inclusion agenda in which Spirituality has an important role to play.
• The Recovery approach, as set out in eg the CSIP/RCPsych/SCIE document of 2007.
• The need for Health and Social Care to be sensitive to user, carer and staff belief systems [ Religion or Belief: A practical guide for the NHS, DH, January, 2009]. Links across to Scottish guidance.
• New Horizons (DH, November, 2009) accent on prevention and early intervention
• The NHS contract.
• The March 2009 WHO Europe report by Dr Lynne Friedli,  emphasises the challenge of social inequality to the mental health of the nation.
• The developing public health and mental health policy framework eg New Horizons: Confident Communities, Brighter Futures - A framework for developing well-being ,  March, 2010.
• The ‘Total Place' approach to partnership and service delivery.
• DH White Paper (July, 2010): Equity and Excellence: liberating the NHS, speaks of a  "genuinely patient-centred approach"- "Nothing about me without me". 
• The ‘Big Society' concept of the incoming Government, with its accent on community organisations taking a lead, and ‘subsidiarity'.

Professor Peter Gilbert - 10.4.2010. (updated, 21.9.10)

The National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) is the agency charged with supporting the implementation of mental health policy in England by the Department of Health in collaboration with the NHS, Local Authorities and other major stakeholders.