New DIALOG training for VCSE sector in Gloucestershire to help measure people’s satisfaction with their mental health and wellbeing

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To support the roll out of a new way of measuring people’s satisfaction with their mental health and wellbeing in the county, VCSE groups & organisations in Gloucestershire are being offered DIALOG training.

DIALOG enables patients to think about their lives in terms of 11 questions. It also asks them to rate their satisfaction with eight aspects of their life and three treatment aspects on a 7-point scale. DIALOG provides a score for quality of life and a score for treatment satisfaction.

Why is Dialog being introduced?

There is a national recommendation for mental health services to use Patient Routine Outcome Measures regularly by NHS England. Here’s why:

  • It’s important to allow us to be more responsive to people’s needs, reduce barriers and improve access to services.
  • It supports the direction of treatment and allows people to create their own solutions
  • It helps us understand people’s preferences and focus on their chosen goals

Also… Experts by Experience found the scale gave them a tool to express what is important to them. Staff also said the tool was simple to use and provided structure to a conversation.

What does DIALOG look like? 

Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust have produced a leaflet which explains more about DIALOG and explains the scale more fully: DIALOG-leaflet. An Easy Read version of the leaflet is in production.

Who is the training for?

DIALOG is currently being rolled out across Adult Mental Health Care teams in Gloucestershire Health and Care, GP surgeries in the Forest & Gloucester City and Social prescribers in Cheltenham with plans to expand across the whole of Gloucestershire. As part of the new Locality Community Partnership meetings, any VCSE member will need to bring a DIALOG questionnaire completed by the person they want to discuss.

This training forms part of the wider Mental Health Transformation Programme for the county. More information about the MHCT Programme can be found here 

How do we access training?

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information. You can also attend some brief training (1.5 hours including Q&A) on the 20 and 27 September 2023 to help you use DIALOG as a patient routine outcome measure.