Views and Opinions of Healthcare Workers in the South of England on Community Mental Healthcare (original) (raw)

This may be because Community Mental Health Teams, along with some other service providers (Approved Social Workers), are currently most likely to provide 'out of hours' emergency mental health cover as described in the Workforce Action Team Special Report (2001). Client access to a range of talking therapies Overall this was not rated so highly, with only 28% (n=186) stating that clients had access 'Most' of the time and 45% 'Some' of the time. Again, this response was similar throughout the groups of respondents. The only figures to note were that voluntary/development workers were more likely to state that access was 'Rarely' available (62.5%). However, the number in this group was small (n=8), as was the case with Psychiatrists, Assertive Outreach Workers and Clinical Psychologists. Communication between agencies 36% (n=186) stated that communication between agencies was effective 'Most' of the time and 43.5% felt that it was 'Sometimes' effective. This spread was similar throughout the groups with the only discrepancy being that 62% (n=34) of Community Psychiatric Nurses felt that it was effective 'Most' of the time. Those professional groups that believed communication between agencies was rarely effective included Clinical Psychologists and Health Visitors. Respondents made specific comments about communication between the agencies, generally citing negative experiences. Staff skill base This question asked whether staff had the correct skills for those they cared for. This was rated favourably by respondents, with 51% (n=185) stating that community staff seemed to have the correct skills for the needs of those they cared for 'Most' of the time and 4% stating this was the case 'All' of the time. Looking at all the groups, 67% (n=15) of Managers said they felt that staff had the correct skills 'Most' of the time, as did 62% (n=34) of Community Psychiatric Nurses and 75% (n=8) of Primary Care Counsellors. Clarity of role This was rated most favourably by respondents: 50% (n=183) stated that staff were clear about their roles and who they should be caring for 'Most' the chronically mentally ill.