Partnerships for better mental health worldwide: WPA recommendations on best practices in working with service users and family carers (original) (raw)
Related papers
Implementing national mental health carer partnership standards in South Australia
Australian Health Review
Objective. The aim of this study was to describe the current state of carer engagement and partnership in two mental health (MH) services in South Australia and the implementation of the six partnership standards in A Practical Guide to Working with Carers of People with a Mental Illness. Methods. Anonymous surveys of carer experiences and clinician self-ratings of their own practice against the six partnership standards were completed by 94 staff and 58 carers within public and private MH in-patient units before and after exposure of clinicians to education about the partnership standards. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and, where applicable, a comparative analysis used the two-sample Z-test of proportions. Qualitative data was analysed thematically. Results. Considerable gaps were evident between carer experiences and clinician self-ratings of their own practice. Overall, the surveys point to the lack of a consistent approach by both public and private services, and suggest potential barriers to fostering carer participation and engagement. Confidentiality was a particularly noted barrier to partnership with carers. Conclusion. Significant improvement is needed to meet the partnership standards. Brief exposure to the Guide is not, in itself, sufficient to effect change in the overall attitudes, skills and knowledge of clinical staff about engaging carers. Significantly more focus on staff education, clinical discussions and supervision is needed to meet the MH carer partnership standards. What is known about the topic? Partnership with MH consumers and carers is an established key principle within national MH policies and accreditation standards. Family carers play an important role in supporting consumers' recovery, yet many carers continue to report being excluded, particularly by in-patient clinical staff. What does this paper add? This is the first study to investigate the partnership standards in practice by comparing the perspectives of carers and in-patient MH clinical staff. What are the implications for practitioners? Improving partnership with carers of people with mental illness will require significant MH service leadership support shifts in current practice and culture. In addition, a more nuanced understanding of confidentiality is required to overcome the barriers to involving family carers more meaningfully in care.
Involving patients, carers and families: an international perspective on emerging priorities
BJPsych international, 2017
This paper focuses on the importance of involving patients, families and other carers when offering and deciding on treatment and care options. It highlights the activities of international and national organisations in facilitating collaboration with patients and families in treatment, research, teaching and training related to mental healthcare.
Partnering with Mental Health Providers: A Guide for Services Researchers
Background: There is a 20-year delay between the development of effective interventions for individuals with severe mental illness and widespread adoption in public mental health care settings. Academicprovider collaborations can shorten this gap, but establishing and maintaining partnerships entail significant challenges. Aims: This paper identifies potential barriers to academic-provider research collaborations and provides guidelines to overcome these obstacles. Method: Authors from an academic institution and community mental health organization outline the components of their long-standing partnership, and discuss the lessons learned that were instrumental in establishing the collaborative model. Results: Realistic resource allocation and training, a thorough understanding of the service model and consumer characteristics, systemic and bidirectional communication and concrete plans for postproject continuation are necessary at all project phases. Conclusions: A shared decision-making framework is essential for effective academic institution and community mental health agency collaborations and can facilitate long-term sustainability of novel interventions.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2004
Mental health: integrated network and family-oriented model for cooperation between mental health patients, adult mental health services and social services Background. Cooperation between mental health care units and the social services is important in the case of people with social problems who also suffer from mental health problems. However, participation of patients and their families in the treatment process, and cooperation between them and the professionals, are also important. Communication between the professionals, patients and their family members, and the professionals is a crucial factor for cooperation. Aims and objectives. The aim of this study was to elucidate the experiences and importance of cooperation for the patients. The data consisted of interviews with 22 mental health patients who were also clients of municipal social services. Method. The grounded theory approach was used, focusing on the informants' experiences of the integrated network and family-oriented model for cooperation. Results. The findings indicate the importance of the participation of patients and their social networks in psychiatric care or the treatment process. Meetings should be characterized by open and reflexive discussions with all participants' points of view being included, so that fruitful cooperation is possible. However, some negative experiences were also reported, all of which were connected with the professionals' behaviour. Conclusions. Trust and honesty are essential elements in relations between professionals and psychiatric patients, but it cannot be assumed that they will develop naturally. It is the professionals' responsibility to adjust their behaviour so that these elements can be created in a mutual process between patients and professionals. Multidisciplinary teams are a necessity in family-oriented cooperation between psychiatry and social services, and in a satisfactory caring process. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses' work is often individually oriented and nurses are ruled by routines in their work. The mental health caring process should be seen as a shared process between the patient, his/her human environment and professionals for which nurses need skills to their interaction with patients and their social network.
Mental Illness, 2014
The family’s role in patient care was greatly altered by Law 180. This law, introduced in Italy in 1978, led to a gradual phasing out of custodial treatment for psychiatric patients. This different mindset, which views the family as an alternative to institutionalization, leads to it being seen as an essential entity in the setting up of community service dynamics. We interviewed health professionals in order to understand obstacles of collaboration between family members and mental health care workers. The goal was to uncover actions that promote collaboration and help build alliances between families and psychiatric workers. Results showed that health professionals view the family as a therapeutic resource. Despite this view, family members were rarely included in patient treatment. The reasons is: the structures have a theoretical orientation of collaboration with the family but, for nurses not are organized a few meeting spaces with family members. Services should create moments...
Mental health service providers: Barriers in collaboration
European Psychiatry, 2021
IntroductionCollaboration between psychiatrists and psychologists (counsellors) is one of the key factors impacting efficiency of services in child and youth mental health. Despite the clear benefits, a teamwork approach is still limited and has some difficulties.ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to explore potential barriers in the collaboration between professionals with different backgrounds.MethodsAnonymous online survey for staff from various mental health clinics across Russia was completed by 142 psychologists and 70 psychiatrists (Σ =212).Results77.7% participants reported that collaboration is helpful in adult mental health services; 91.3% see partnership as an essential part of child and youth mental health. 61.6% specialists work together; 44.7% described it as a successful experience. At the same time 58.4% believe that pharmacological treatment should start first, and counselling may be postponed. 49.5% believe that doctors often diminish the importance of counse...
International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 2019
Background: Collaborative care is a means of improving outcomes particularly for people with complex needs. The Partners in Recovery (PIR) program, established in Australia in 2012, provides care coordination to facilitate access to health and social support services for people with severe and persistent mental illness. Of the 48 PIR programs across Australia, 35 were led by Medicare Locals, the previous Australian regional primary health care organisation and nine involved Medicare Locals as partner organisations. Aims: To identify features which enabled and hindered collaboration in PIR programs involving Medicare Locals and determine what can be learnt about delivering care to this population. Methods: Data were collected from 50 interviews with senior staff at Medicare Locals and from eight focus groups with 51 mental health stakeholders in different Australian jurisdictions. Results: Successful PIR programs were based upon effective collaboration. Collaboration was facilitated by dedicated funding, a shared understanding of PIR aims, joint planning, effective network management, mutual respect and effective communication. Collaboration was also enhanced by the local knowledge and population health planning functions of Medicare Locals. Jurisdictional boundaries and funding discontinuity were the primary barriers to collaboration.
BMC health services research, 2017
Empirical evidence shows that family involvement (FI) can play a pivotal role in the coping and recovery of persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Nevertheless, various studies demonstrate that FI in mental healthcare services is often not (sufficiently) realized. In order to develop more insights, this scoping review gives an overview of how various stakeholders conceptualize, perceive and experience barriers to FI. Central questions are: 1) What are the main barriers to FI reported by the different key stakeholders (i.e. the persons with SMI, their families and the professionals, and 2) What are the differences and similarities between the various stakeholders' perspectives on these barriers. A systematic search into primary studies regarding FI was conducted in four databases: Medline/Pubmed, Cinahl, PsychInfo and Web of Knowledge with the use of a PICO scheme. Thematic analysis focused on stakeholder perspectives (i.e. which stakeholder group reports the barrier) and type...
How is the collaborative-practice competency operationalized by mental health workers
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 2006
The recovery-focused competencies currently endorsed in policy emphasize collaborative relationships between mental health workers, service users, families and communities. Based on a qualitative research methodology, multi-disciplined practitioners shared their perceptions as to how mental health workers could operationalize collaborative relationships. Two community mental health centres were the setting for three focus groups, where 16 voluntary participants contributed to focused discussions. Participants discussed the pragmatics of how they work collaboratively; identifying knowledge and attitudes that underpin their practice, and elaborating on environmental influences that impact on a collaborative approach. Findings from the study recommend the practitioner role as one of advocacy and facilitation. The collaborative approach, which is inextricably related to the quality of the practitioner-service user relationship, aids sense-making for service users of their mental health experience. This requires of practitioners the qualities of openness, expression of hope, genuineness and people-first attitude that supports the building of knowledge rather than communicating it.