DIALOG+

DIALOG+ enables healthcare professionals to have supportive and meaningful conversations with service users about the aspects of their lives that are most important to them such as family, relationships, leisure activities and accommodation, in addition to their mental and physical health.

DIALOG+ has two parts: DIALOG and DIALOG+:

DIALOG

DIALOG is a  short set of 11 questions. Service users answer these before or during their appointment. They rate how satisfied they are with different areas of their life and treatment. This helps identify what is going well and what could be improved.

The questions guide a focused, structured conversation between the service user and the health professional. The discussion is centred on what matters most to the person.

DIALOG+

DIALOG+ is the care plan created from that conversation. It is created by the service user and health professional and carer where appropriate. It is personal to the individual and is designed to be easy to understand. The care plan is digital, easy to change and reviewed regularly as agreed with the service user.

Watch the short animation below for more information about how DIALOG+ works.

Why are we using DIALOG+?

In July 2021,  NHS England advised all Mental Health Trusts to move away from the Care Programme Approach (CPA)  and adopt the Community Mental Health Framework. Our Trust’s approach to this is called Better Care Together.

DIALOG+, as part of a wider piece of work, is the tool to enable the move away from CPA whilst providing a clear, co-produced care plan for service users.

DIALOG+ has been specifically developed to make routine patient-clinician meetings therapeutically effective. Research studies in different mental health services and multiple countries have shown that using DIALOG+ can improve patients’ quality of life.