Quality standard

This quality standard covers short-term prevention and management of violent and physically threatening behaviour among adults, children and young people with a mental health problem. It applies to settings where mental health, health and social care services are provided. This includes community settings and care received at home. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.

It does not specifically cover violence and aggression among people with a primary diagnosis of learning disability because this group has been covered in the quality standard on learning disability: behaviour that challenges.

How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them

Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.

Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them. We check our quality standards every August to make sure they are up to date.