scholarly journals Improving throughput in a youth mental health service

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-234
Author(s):  
Dominiek Coates ◽  
Deborah Howe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Working Party ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Models

Purpose The discrepancy between increasing demand and limited resources in public mental health is putting pressure on services to continuously review their practices and develop innovative models of care that redress this discrepancy. To ensure the service models continue to meet the needs of all stakeholders, children and young people’s mental health (CYPMH) conducts regular reviews of its service models. Accordingly, the youth mental health (YMH) model at CYPMH has evolved significantly over time in response to the needs of young people and service demand. The purpose of this paper is to outline the findings of a recent review of the YMH service, and the subsequent changes to the service model. Design/methodology/approach Informed by a participatory action philosophy, feedback was sought from staff on the service model through a range of methods including a questionnaire, staff consultations through a working party and interviews. This feedback was used to redesign the model, which was then evaluated again. Findings Staff identified a number of challenges with the service model and a range of service improvement solutions. The key issues included exceedingly high caseloads, workplace tensions, and fragmentation of the client journey. This paper outlines the primary solution to these key concerns, namely, the introduction of brief intervention (BI) as the entry point to the service. Originality/value BI approaches provide a solution to overly high caseloads as the direct and focussed approach of BI generally reduces the number of sessions people need. BI is an important addition to other treatment options and should be seen as a valid component of the continuum of mental healthcare.

Assessing organizational culture in public mental healthcare service organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Prodromou ◽  
George Papageorgiou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Mental Health Services

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate aspects of organizational culture among the nursing staff of public mental health services organizations in Cyprus. Specifically, highlights are provided of possible differences on the attitudes of nurses regarding actual and desired aspects of organizational culture with respect to demographic characteristics such as gender, years of service and experience.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive explanatory type survey study was conducted in all public mental health services organizations of Cyprus. Specifically, a questionnaire was given to a representative sample of the nursing population, and data were collected and analyzed. The survey questionnaire was based on the organizational culture profile (OCP) methodology. Statistical analysis was carried out using correlational analysis, t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsResults showed that there are significant discrepancies between the actual organizational culture and what is desired by staff members of public mental health services organizations in Cyprus. Further, significant differences are identified between actual and desired organizational culture moderated by the type of work, which is determined by the workplace.Originality/valueEven though, organizational culture is a major research topic little has been done in the context of public mental healthcare organizations. Further, for the case of Cyprus, it is the first time that such a study is carried out. The results presented in this paper may provide the foundation for measures to be taken for improving the existing operation of public mental healthcare organizations.

scholarly journals The effect of a youth mental health service model on access to secondary mental healthcare for young people aged 14–25 years

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Maxwell ◽  
Obianuju Ugochukwu ◽  
Tim Clarke ◽  
Brioney Gee ◽  
Emmet Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Youth Service

Aims and methodThe Norfolk Youth Service was created in 2012 in response to calls to redesign mental health services to better meet the needs of young people. The new service model transcends traditional boundaries by creating a single, ‘youth friendly’ service for young people aged 14–25 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the transition to this new model on patterns of referral, acceptance and service use. We analysed routinely collected data on young people aged 14–25 years referred for secondary mental healthcare in Norfolk before and after implementation of the youth mental health service. The number of referrals, their age and gender, proportion of referrals accepted and average number of service contacts per referral by age pre- and post-implementation were compared.ResultsReferrals increased by 68% following implementation of the new service model, but the proportion of referrals accepted fell by 27 percentage points. Before implementation of the youth service, there was a clear discrepancy between the peak age of referral and the age of those seen by services. Following implementation, service contacts were more equitable across ages, with no marked discontinuity at age 18 years.Clinical implicationsOur findings suggest that the transformation of services may have succeeded in reducing the ‘cliff edge’ in access to mental health services at the transition to adulthood. However, the sharp rise in referrals and reduction in the proportion of referrals accepted highlights the importance of considering possible unintended consequences of new service models.Declaration of interestsNone.

The creative artist support group: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Therapeutic Benefit ◽  
Humanistic Psychology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Artistic Theory ◽  
Creative Artists

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the therapeutic benefits of a community-based creative artists support group. The author is also the participant/facilitator of the group, which has been ongoing for the past eight months. The relevant experiences of three participants in the group have been chosen, to briefly illustrate the diverse kinds of social and therapeutic value that people with creative artistic inclinations may benefit from. Design/methodology/approach – The philosophy of the author's facilitation of this creative artist support group is based upon the humanistic psychology foundations of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, as well as the author's previous work on the relationship of the creative artist to mental disturbance and mental health. Findings – The pragmatic illustrations of therapeutic benefit from participation in this creative artist support group are directly related to the humanistic supportive atmosphere that is described in this paper as a cornerstone of the Artistic Theory of Psychology. Originality/value – This paper is highly original in the context of the author's description of his Artistic Theory of Psychology, which utilizes the foundation for the “successful creative artist” as being successful in both one's chosen artistic realm as well as making a satisfactory adjustment to day-to-day life. It should also be noted that this paper has been written in the context of a “brief case study” as discussed in August 2013 with the Journal of Public Mental Health editor.

scholarly journals Service innovation: an old age liaison psychiatry service

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Whelan ◽  
Kirsten Lawson ◽  
Stephen W. Burton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Liaison Psychiatry ◽  
Service Models ◽  
Consultation Model

Service models differ for the provision of mental healthcare for elderly medical in-patients. Input by the general adult liaison psychiatry service with no age cutoff (Lipowski, 1983) and sector-based old age community mental health teams (CMHTs) (Scott et al, 1988; De Leo et al, 1989) have been described, as well as a consultation–liaison model. Holmes et al (2003) showed that old age psychiatrists favoured a liaison rather than a consultation model.

More than just characters in a story: effective and meaningful involvement of young people in mental health research

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh MacSweeney ◽  
Sarah Bowman ◽  
Clare Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Advisory Groups ◽  
Meaningful Involvement ◽  
Youth Involvement

Purpose The story of youth mental health remains poorly understood. To truly progress our understanding of youth mental health, we must shift our focus from one in which young people are the subjects, or “characters”, of research efforts to one in which they are active agents, or “authors”. This change in dynamic falls under the banner of public and patient involvement (PPI), a growing movement that emphasises the meaningful involvement of the public in health research. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Here, the authors aim to stimulate this shift in focus by describing emerging practices of youth involvement in paediatric research and outlining how such practices can be extended to the domain of youth mental health. In particular, the authors highlight Young Persons’ Advisory Groups (YPAG), through which young people can be involved in an active, meaningful and mutually beneficial manner, at each step in the research life cycle. Findings A YPAG comprises young people who act as research partners, providing guidance on a range of activities. In the health domain, YPAGs have provided fresh perspectives, generated valuable knowledge and changed attitudes about youth involvement in research. Moreover, they provide young people with genuine opportunities to shape research so that it addresses issues they encounter in their everyday lives. Originality/value The establishment of youth mental health YPAGs will enhance the authors’ research questions, design, delivery and impact. The authors outline how researchers can embrace PPI and work together with young people to tell a different story of youth mental health.

scholarly journals Access, accountability, and the proliferation of psychological therapy: On the introduction of the IAPT initiative and the transformation of mental healthcare

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martyn Pickersgill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Therapy ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Psychological Therapies ◽  
Treatment Of Depression ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour

Psychological therapy today plays a key role in UK public mental health. In large part, this has been through the development of the (specifically English) Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. Through IAPT, millions of citizens have encountered interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy, largely for the treatment of depression and anxiety. This article interrogates how this national response to problems of mental ill-health – and the problematization itself – was developed, accounted for, and sustained. By imbricating economic expertise with accounts of mental ill-health and mechanisms of treatment, IAPT has revivified psychological framings of pathology and therapy. However, it has done so in ways that are more familiar within biomedical contexts (e.g. through recourse to randomized controlled trial studies). Today, the initiative is a principal player in relation to which other services are increasingly developed. Indeed, in many respects IAPT has transformed from content to context within UK public mental health (in a process of what I term ‘contextification’). By documenting these developments, this paper contributes to re-centring questions about the place and role of psychology in contemporary healthcare. Doing so helps to complicate assumptions about the dominance of linear forms of (de)biomedicalization in health-systems.

Incarcerated youth mental and physical health: parity of esteem

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolisha Singh ◽  
John Kasinathan ◽  
Andrew Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Incarcerated Youth ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Global Improvement ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe physical and mental health characteristics of incarcerated youth both internationally and in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. To outline current practices in the provision of mental and physical healthcare for incarcerated youth internationally and in NSW. Design/methodology/approach Population relevant literature will be outlined as applicable. Health service delivery will be discussed, with an emphasis on the experiences of NSW physical and mental health service provision for incarcerated youth. Findings This paper illustrates that in NSW there was a parity of provision between physical and mental healthcare, though there were deficits in what should ideally be provided. Internationally there was clear evidence that current minimum standards of healthcare in both physical and mental healthcare domains remain unmet. Practical implications Provision of physical and mental healthcare for incarcerated youth warrants global improvement. Further research into current provisions, across jurisdictions and subsequent standardisation of practice, will improve health outcomes for this vulnerable group. Originality/value This is the first paper to describe mental and physical healthcare provision in NSW for incarcerated youth framed within the broader context of international health service provision for similar populations.

India is going partway to easing mental health crisis

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Indian Government ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tertiary Healthcare ◽  
The Government ◽  
National Mental Health

Subject India's efforts to address a mental health crisis. Significance The Indian government is aiming to convert 150,000 primary health centres into health and wellness centres (HWCs) providing comprehensive care, including management of mental disorders. Its plans for secondary and tertiary healthcare include medical insurance for poorer families that will cover treatment of mental illness. According to a 2016 study conducted by India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), 150 million out of the country’s 1.3 billion people urgently need mental healthcare. Impacts Expanding mental healthcare infrastructure could lead to an overemphasis on a biomedical model of treatment for mental health disorders. The government will come under pressure to increase funding for mental health professionals as well as technological resources. Future budgets will be key indicators of the government’s commitment to its National Mental Health Programme.

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