Mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland: vision and reality

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Atif Ijaz ◽  
Helen Killaspy ◽  
Frank Holloway ◽  
Fiona Keogh ◽  
Ena Lavelle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Assertive Outreach ◽  
Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Mental Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Specialist Rehabilitation

AbstractObjectives: The Irish national mental health policy document, A Vision for Change, included recommendations to develop specialist rehabilitation mental health services. This survey was conducted as part of a multicentre study to investigate current provision of mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland and factors associated with better clinical outcomes for users of these services. The aim was to carry out a detailed national survey of specialist rehabilitation services in order to describe current service provision.Method: A structured questionnaire was sent to consultant rehabilitation psychiatrists in all mental health catchment areas of Ireland that had any rehabilitation services to gather data on various aspects of service provision.Results: Twenty-six of the 31 mental health areas of Ireland had some form of rehabilitation service. Sixteen teams working in 15 of these areas fulfilled A Vision for Change criteria to be defined as specialist rehabilitation services and all 16 responded to the survey. The overall response rate was 73% (19/26). Most services lacked a full multidisciplinary team. Only one service had an assertive outreach team with acceptable fidelity to the assertive outreach model. Urban services were less well resourced than rural services.Conclusion: This is the first national survey to describe the provision of mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland. Although there has been an increase in the provision of consultant-led specialist rehabilitation services nationally, these services lack multidisciplinary input. There also appears to be a lack of planned provision of the facilities required to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services with unequal distribution of resources between urban and rural areas. This has potential cost implications for local mental health services in relation to ‘out of area treatment’ placements and perhaps more importantly to the overall quality of patient care.

scholarly journals Consumers' understanding and expectations of a community-based recovery-oriented mental health rehabilitation unit: a pragmatic grounded theory analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (04) ◽  
pp. 408-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Parker ◽  
Frances Dark ◽  
Ellie Newman ◽  
Dominic Hanley ◽  
William McKinlay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Rehabilitation Unit ◽  
Staffing Model ◽  
Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Mental Health Rehabilitation

Aims.Incorporating consumer perspectives into mental health services design is important in working to deliver recovery-oriented care. One of the challenges faced in mental health rehabilitation services is limited consumer engagement with the available support. Listening to consumers’ expectations of mental health services, and what they hope to achieve, provides an opportunity to examine the alignment between existing services and the priorities and preferences of the people who use them. We explored consumer understandings and expectations of three recovery-oriented community-based residential mental-health rehabilitation units using semi-structured interviews; two of these units were trialling a staffing model integrating peer support with clinical care.Methods.Twenty-four consumers completed semi-structured interviews with an independent interviewer during the first 6 weeks of their stay at the rehabilitation unit. Most participants had a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder (87%). A pragmatic approach to grounded theory guided the analysis, facilitating identification of content and themes, and the development of an overarching conceptual map.Results.The rehabilitation units were considered to provide a transformational space and a transitional place. The most common reason given for engagement was housing insecurity or homelessness rather than the opportunity for rehabilitation engagement. Differences in expectations did not emerge between consumers entering the clinical and integrated staffing model sites.Conclusions.Consumers understand the function of the rehabilitation service they are entering. However, receiving rehabilitation support may not be the key driver of their attendance. This finding has implications for promoting consumer engagement with rehabilitation services. The absence of differences between the integrated and clinical staffing models may reflect the novelty of the rehabilitation context. The study highlights the need for staff to find better ways to increase consumer awareness of the potential relevance of evidence-based rehabilitation support to facilitating their recovery.

scholarly journals The Rehabilitation Effectiveness for Activities for Life (REAL) study: a national programme of research into NHS inpatient mental health rehabilitation services across England

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Killaspy ◽  
Michael King ◽  
Frank Holloway ◽  
Thomas J Craig ◽  
Sarah Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Inpatient Mental Health ◽  
Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Mental Health Rehabilitation

BackgroundThe REAL (Rehabilitation Effectiveness for Activities for Life) research programme, funded by the National Institute for Heath Research (NIHR) from 2009 to 2015, investigated NHS mental health rehabiliation services across England. The users of these services are people with longer-term, complex mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, who have additional problems that complicate recovery. Although only around 10% of people with severe mental illness require inpatient rehabilitation, because of the severity and complexity of their problems they cost 25–50% of the total mental health budget. Despite this, there has been little research to help clinicians and commissioners to plan and deliver effective treatments and services. This research aimed to address this gap.MethodsThe programme had four phases. (1) A national survey, using quantitative and qualitative methods, was used to provide a detailed understanding of the scope and quality of NHS mental health rehabilitation services in England and the characteristics of those who use them. (2) We developed a training intervention for staff of NHS inpatient mental health rehabilitation units to facilitate service users’ activities. (3) The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the staff training programme was evaluated through a cluster randomised controlled trial involving 40 units that scored below average on our quality assessment tool in the national survey. A qualitative process evaluation and a realistic evaluation were carried out to inform our findings further. (4) A naturalistic cohort study was carried out involving 349 service users of 50 units that scored above average on our quality assessment tool in the national survey, who were followed up over 12 months. Factors associated with better clinical outcomes were investigated through exploratory analyses.ResultsMost NHS trusts provided inpatient mental health rehabilitation services. The quality of care provided was higher than that in similar facilities across Europe and was positively associated with service users’ autonomy. Our cluster trial did not find our staff training intervention to be clinically effective [coefficient 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) –1.35 to 4.24]; staff appeared to revert to previous practices once the training team left the unit. Our realistic review suggested that greater supervision and senior staff support could help to address this. Over half of the service users in our cohort study were successfully discharged from hospital over 12 months. Factors associated with this were service users’ activity levels [odds ratio (OR) 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05] and social skills (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.24), and the ‘recovery’ orientation of the unit (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.08), which includes collaborative care planning with service users and holding hope for their progress. Quality of care was not associated with costs of care. A relatively small investment (£67 per service user per month) was required to achieve the improvement in everyday functioning that we found in our cohort study.ConclusionsPeople who require inpatient mental health rehabilitation are a ‘low-volume, high-needs’ group. Despite this, these services are able to successfully discharge most to the community within 18 months. Our results suggest that this may be facilitated by recovery-orientated practice that promotes service users’ activities and social skills. Further research is needed to identify effective interventions that enhance such practice to deliver these outcomes. Our research provides evidence that NHS inpatient mental health rehabilitation services deliver high-quality care that successfully supports service users with complex needs in their recovery.Main limitationOur programme included only NHS, non-secure, inpatient mental health rehabilitation services.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN25898179.FundingThe NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

scholarly journals Considering the Use of the Term ‘Rehab Potential’ within in-patient Mental Health Services: Its Usefulness and the Risks Associated with Getting it Wrong—A Theoretical Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-313
Author(s):  
Christopher Neil Edge ◽  
Neil Tilston-Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Rehabilitation Potential ◽  
Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Mental Health Rehabilitation

Abstract‘Rehab potential’ is a term that is frequently used within in-patient mental health services as means of predicting one’s potential response to rehabilitation-focused interventions. However, there is no explicit and common understanding of the factors that contribute to concept of rehabilitation potential within the context of mental health rehabilitation, despite this being such a commonly used phrase. When accurate predictions are made about a person’s perceived rehabilitation potential, it has the power to enhance a person’s rehabilitation process. If these predictions are inaccurate, they can have negative consequences for the individuals involved. Consequences of inaccurately predicting an individual’s rehabilitation potential can include people being denied access to rehabilitation services or being confined to years of care and/or more restrictive services that may not promote independence or recovery from mental illness as effectively as rehabilitation-focused services. This can have significant implications for these individuals such as reduced feelings of well-being and quality of life. In other medical fields there is evidence that judgments of rehabilitation potential can also have negative implications for the members of staff expected to make these decisions on behalf of service users.

School Settings

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa K. Holt ◽  
Jennifer Greif Green ◽  
Javier Guzman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Mental Health Service Provision

Schools are a primary setting for mental health service provision to youth and are also main sources of referral to community mental health service providers. This chapter examines the school context and its key role in the child and adolescent mental health services system. The chapter first provides information about the association of emotional and behavioral disorders with school experiences, including academic performance. Next, the chapter presents a framework for mental health service provision and assessment in schools, including describing methods for identifying students who might need mental health services and tracking their progress. Further, several evidence-based interventions are highlighted as examples of effective practices in schools. The chapter concludes with recommendations for clinical practice in school settings.

Enhancing Successful Employment Outcomes for People with a Psychiatric Disability

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Maxie Ashton ◽  
Josephine Dowsett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychiatric Disability ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Successful Employment

Work, for most people with psychiatric disability, is their most important goal and yet they often have more difficulty getting work and maintaining work than other disability groups. Six focus groups were held with consumers of mental health services to explore the reason for this and identify what rehabilitation services should do about this problem. The groups recommended many strategies which have been divided by the authors into three rehabilitation phases. Three check lists have been developed to assist service providers address the range of needs with consumers during the rehabilitation process and to identify service gaps.

scholarly journals Professionals’ perceptions of the establishment of a specialized brief therapy unit in a district psychiatric centre - a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde V. Markussen ◽  
Lene Aasdahl ◽  
Marit B. Rise
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Brief Therapy ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Outpatient Clinics ◽  
Short Term Treatment

Abstract Background Increasing mental health problems and scarce treatment resources put pressure on mental health services to make innovations in service provision, such as developing differentiated services adapted to different needs. One innovation in differentiated service provision is brief or short-term treatment to patients with moderate mental health problems. Implementing a new unit in an organization usually faces many potential barriers and facilitators, and knowledge on how the professionals providing the services perceive the implementation of innovative approaches in mental health services is scarce. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the professionals’ perceptions of how the establishment of a specialized brief therapy unit had affected the organization, especially the everyday work in the outpatient clinics. Methods Eleven professionals, five men and six women, took part in individual interviews. All participants were between 40 and 60 years old and had leading or coordinating positions in the organization. Their professional backgrounds were within psychology, nursing and medicine, most of them specialists in their field. Data was analyzed according to Systematic text condensation. Results The professionals’ experiences represented four main themes: (1) The brief therapy unit was perceived as successful and celebrated. (2) The general outpatient clinics, on the other hand, were described as “forgotten”. (3) The establishment process had elucidated different views on treatment in the outpatient clinics - and had set off (4) a discussion regarding the criteria for prioritizing in mental health services. Conclusion Providing targeted treatment to patients with moderate mental health problems, while having a concurrent aim to solve broader problems in mental health services, entails a discussion regarding resource use and the appropriate level of treatment provision. Professionals should be more involved when innovative efforts are implemented, and the criteria for success must be conceptualized and evaluated. Longitudinal research on the implementation of innovative efforts in the services should include professionals’ and service users’ perspectives.

scholarly journals Delaying the implementation of Payment by Results in mental health: the application of standardisation

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoxi Wang ◽  
Ian Shaw ◽  
Hugh Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
High Quality Data ◽  
Treatment Pathways ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinical Level ◽  
Recent Reform

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues surrounding a long planned expansion of Payment by Results (PbR) into mental health services and to highlight the factors responsible for the delay. Design/methodology/approach – PbR relies upon “standardisation” of conditions and treatments. This depends upon a scheme of classification that can realistically predict resources required to execute treatment of any one case. Plans to fund NHS mental health services on the basis of tariffs derived in this way have been delayed, and a key reason is the lack of high-quality data. This would require effective “standardisation-to the-average” of both a system of classification and a repertoire of costed treatment pathways. This paper investigated the delay implementation by exploring the difficulties in applying standardisation principles to service provision and tariff calculation. Findings – The paper identified the fundamental difficulty with PbR’s implementation in applying “standardisation” to practice. This is defining the mental disorder that the patient is suffering and designing care pathways at clinical level considering the balance between practical applicability and conceptual/constructional validity. This is necessary to enable the calculation of a national tariff. The conceptual flaws of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale led to the constructional shortcomings which compromised the credibility and validity of Mental Health Clustering Tool regarding making accurate classification in a standardised way. The validity and credibility of calculating a national tariff thus became contentious on the basis of this inaccurate clinical classification system. Originality/value – This paper explored the driving factors of delay in implementing PbR in mental health through connecting the recent reform with the fundamental assumptions of “standardisation-to the-average”, which provided another perspective to illustrate the current obstacles.

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