In March 2022, the Government of Canada announced that it will be working with the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and interested parties and partners to develop national standards for mental health and substance use health (MHSUH) services. These standards will provide an evidence-based framework for service delivery that people in Canada can rely on from coast to coast to coast.
Benefits of the new standards
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant negative impacts on the health and well-being of Canadians. This has led to reports of increased stress, anxiety, depression and substance use.
This challenging time has highlighted the need to address long-standing gaps in the delivery of mental health and substance use health services across the country. The new standards will be designed to address gaps in priority areas.
Our role
As part of this work, SCC is working with standards development organizations and other key partners to develop standardized guidance in six priority areas:
- integration of MHSUH services in primary care settings
- digital MHSUH apps
- integrated community-based MHSUH services for youth
- integrated MHSUH services for people with complex needs
- substance use health treatment centres
- substance use health workforce
In addition, SCC has launched the National Mental Health and Substance Use Health (MSHUH) Standardization Collaborative, which is a forum that facilitates input from a diverse group of interested parties. The Collaborative will develop a standardization roadmap, which will identify future opportunities to continue improving mental health and substance use health service delivery and treatment outcomes.
Contact us to learn about the MSHUH Collaborative and how you can get involved.
Learn more
Media release: Government of Canada Begins Work with Partners on National Standards for Mental Health and Substance Use Services