The European Working Group on Mental Health met on Friday, 24 October, in Rome, at the General Curia of the Hospitaller Order of St John of God. The meeting was organised within the framework of the European working groups of Hospitality Europe.

The central theme of the meeting was the QualityRights (QR) strategy promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Presented by Dr Michelle Funk, Head of the WHO Unit for Policy, Law and Human Rights, the programme aims to transform mental health services, making them more humane, inclusive and respectful of people’s rights.

Dr Funk outlined the global challenges: excessive institutionalisation, coercive practices, stigma, and a lack of community-based services. She also highlighted the innovative reach of the QualityRights project, which promotes the participation of people with lived experience, the training of professionals, and the reform of laws to ensure freedom of choice and the dignity of every individual.

Throughout the day, participants from various centres of the Hospitaller Order and the Hospitaller Sisters presented their good practices in the field of mental health, while Spanish centres showcased their progress in promoting the QR model. In particular, in Spain, the Hospitalarias Foundation and the Order of St John of God are carrying out an implementation project (2024–2026) in mental health centres, in collaboration with the Regional Department of Health.

At the end of the day, the participants shared and signed the Manifesto on QualityRights, as a proposal for institutional commitment to advancing the implementation of this model.

The central idea is to continue promoting actions and initiatives aimed at social justice, social inclusion, comprehensive care, support for vulnerable people, poverty eradication, awareness-raising, innovation, and research.

And, as institutions, to always remain committed to human rights and to national and international policies that uphold the dignity and overall well-being of every person.