It is important that you and your care team have an understanding of your needs at different points throughout your care.
To help us monitor your wellbeing you will be asked to complete a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM). These outcome measures are from your point of view and will help you feel empowered in shaping the care you receive.
The PROM being collected is the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (SWEMWBS); a short survey with seven questions to assess your mental well-being at a given point. A video explaining what it is, how it can be used and the benefits to help inform your care can be accessed below.
An introduction to SWEMWBS
Why do I need to monitor my wellbeing?
As someone living with mental ill health, you are an expert by experience and your thoughts and feelings are important in shaping the care you receive.
SWEMWBS help you and your care team monitor your progress and can show how effective services have been in helping you to live well with mental ill health.
When should I complete the rating scale?
When you first enter services your care team will ask if you want to complete a SWEMWBS to assist with their assessment of your needs and to inform shared decision making. You will also be asked to complete this survey on or before your regular reviews including care programme approach (CPA) reviews. However, you can complete the survey as frequently as you wish to monitor your well-being.
You can discuss with your care team the best way to complete the measure. Do you want to compete it in private or would it help for the questions and potential responses to be discussed with you?
Carers and families can help you complete the ratings but your personal opinion is the most important.
SWEMWBS will be used regularly but may be complimented with a range of other measures dependant on your individual need.
We understand that you may not feel able to complete the measure, or that you may not wish to participate.
How will the scale be used?
At the moment the survey will be offered to you as a paper document. However, we are looking into different ways to collect this information, including digital methods.
The survey results are inputted into your care record and progress can be viewed in the form of graphs or tables.
Your care team can provide you with copies of these to keep. These might help you think about what aspect of your wellbeing has improved and what areas need further attention.
Patient reported outcomes will be used to compliment Clinician Reported Outcome Measures (CROM) and Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREM).
Tips to get the most from using a PROM to monitor your wellbeing
- be open and honest, there are no right or wrong answers and there is no pass or fail
- discuss the ratings with your care team, carers and supporters
- you could use the SWEMWBS to make sure your thoughts and feelings are taken into account during clinical discussions and to inform shared decision making and care planning.
Frequently asked questions
How will the information be used?
Personal responses will be used to review your progress and to shape your care. The information from large groups of service users is converted into data which describe the changes similar service users with similar needs have experienced.
Who will be able to see my results?
Your individual results can only be seen by the care team members who have access to your record; yourself and anyone you wish to share it with.
The combined results of many service users will be used in anonymous data reports at Trust level.
Who owns the results?
Service users can complete the measure as often as they wish. Any measures they pass to clinical staff will become part of the clinical record and will be reported.
I found using SWEMWBS really useful to track my recovery. Although I had ups and downs it helped me to see how far I’d come and what I'd achieved.
Kay, TEWV expert by experience
Jargon Buster
Care plan
A jointly agreed, written plan, between you and your care co-ordinator or lead professional. This outlines your assessed needs, any risks to yourself or others, personal goals and progress towards your recovery.
CPA – Care Programme Approach
Describes the way mental health professionals work jointly with you, your family, carers and supporters to assess, develop, co-ordinate and review your care.
CROM – Clinician Reported Outcome Measure
A rating scale which care staff complete to monitor service user needs and changes to them. There is a national requirement to report clinician rated outcomes.
Outcome data
A set of reports produced following statistical analysis that can be used to describe the changes our services have made to patients mental health.
PREM – Patient Reported Experience Measure
A list of questions used to determine whether patients have a good or bad experience in relation to the care they receive from services.
PROM – Patient Reported Outcome Measure
A rating scale that can be used to monitor service users’ needs and any changes to them. There is a national requirement to report clinical outcomes from patients.
SDM – Shared Decision Making
A process by which professionals and experts by experience (you) reach mutually agreed decisions. Everyone’s opinions and expertise is valued equally.
SWEMWBS – Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale
A scale of seven positively worded items with five response categories to assess mental well-being. A space is also included for additional comments.
L929, V3, 01/07/2019 (Archive: 01/07/2022)
