Just one in 10 local groups charged with implementing mental health policy believe effective systems to monitor clinical governance are in place.

The revelation comes in the Department of Health's mental health policy implementation guide, which sets out how the national service framework and NHS plan will be delivered at service level.

The guidance points out that a self-assessment framework to monitor local implementation plans included indicators on clinical governance 'to ascertain whether there are effective joint structured systems for monitoring, safeguarding, and developing the quality of service'.

But 'only one in 10 local implementation teams thought this would be in place by April 2001'.

The guidance gives no information on how the teams 'ensure that appropriate clinical governance arrangements are in place'.

www. doh. gov. uk