Population approach to mental health

We know that there are inequalities between different groups within our local populations in terms of access to our services, clinical outcomes within our services and experience of our services. We need to ensure that our personalised, clinical approach recognises and responds to these different needs but also ensure that our clinical decision making at all levels is informed by the needs and voices of our local populations, not just those who are currently accessing our services.

We must also recognise and address inequities in our clinical workforce and clinical career pathways. There are inequities of access, experience, outcome, development and progression in terms of clinical professional careers. Addressing these issues is key to maximising clinical performance and the quality of our clinical services for our local populations.

A population approach to mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity means considering the needs of our population in a more nuanced and localised way. It also requires us to consider, more carefully, how we can influence an individual's lifestyle factors, their social and community networks and the wider socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors that impact upon the lives of the people we support.

As we move forward, we need to be more proactively curious about the inequities that exist in accessing and benefiting from services.

And, more importantly, we need to take steps that will actively address and reduce these inequalities.