Social prescribing for people with mental health needs living in disadvantaged communities: the Life Rooms model

Abstract Background People live socially complex lives and have different health care needs influenced by socio-economic factors such as deprivation, unemployment, and poor housing. Lack of access to community based social care results in people seeking social support from health care services. This study explores the Life Rooms as a social prescribing model addressing the social determinants of mental health by providing support and access to resources in a local community setting. With an aim to identify key elements that contribute toward enhancing the effectiveness of the Life Rooms social prescribing approach. Methods Data were obtained through six semi-structured focus groups with mental health service users from two locations in the North West of the UK. Postcode data was collected to generate an Index for Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score, to understand their socio-economic background. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results A total of 18 participants took part in the study. The majority of participants came from disadvantaged backgrounds; 14 participants measuring 3 and below in terms of overall IMD scores and 9 participants belonged to the poorest decile (IMD score = 1). Participants reported on different elements of the Life Rooms which they found as an effective approach to care. Four main themes emerged from the data: 1) social belonging: being able to just ‘be’ 2) resourceful and accessible; 3) social inclusion and connectedness; and 4) moving forward: self-development and independence. Conclusion Findings support the need and benefit social prescribing to improve mental health wellbeing and reduce the burden of mental illness.

Download Full-text

Developing a Framework to Increase Access to Mental Health Services for Children With Special Needs in Ethiopia

Frontiers in Sociology ◽

10.3389/fsoc.2020.583931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Tammy L. Hughes ◽

Cydney Quinn ◽

Amy Tiberi ◽

Waganesh A. Zeleke

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Health Care Access ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Local Community ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Cultural Taboos

The availability and accessibility of Westernized mental health diagnostic processes and evidence-based treatments are limited in developing countries, such as Ethiopia (Kakuma et al., 2011; Hohenshil et al., 2013; Wondie, 2014; Zeleke et al., 2017b). Similar to other developing nations, there is (a) a lack of health care services for mental practices to build on, (b) limited services that are well-suited to the culture (Wondie, 2014; Zeleke et al., 2019), (c) limited scientific literature useful for documenting the needs of the Ethiopian public, and (d) too few mental health professional preparation programs (Zeleke et al., 2019). Whereas Western cultures generally follow the biomedical model conceptualization and treatment of disease, non-Western cultures, such as Ethiopia tend to adhere to traditional and religious views to explain the origin of mental illness (Kortmann, 1987; Jacobsson and Merdassa, 1991). Mental health symptoms may be attributed to supernatural causes or other spiritual crises, rather than a combination of biopsychosocial influences. As such, individuals seeking help with mental health symptoms in Ethiopia are mostly limited to family, friends and local community healers (Zeleke et al., 2017a, 2019). When individuals are brought to the few places providing Westernized mental health care, it is often only after exhausting other traditional and religious alternatives (Bekele et al., 2000). Even when there is a desire to seek Westernized services, socioeconomic circumstance, cultural factors (e.g., a focus on collectivism practices), negative attitudes toward mental illness, along with unfamiliarity and fear of these new practices, are noted barriers to receiving treatments. Beliefs passed down through cultural taboos go on to effect multiple generations. Not only do barriers affect individuals, but they also negatively impact the range of services for children, families and communities. With the ultimate goal of improving mental health care access for children, a full appreciation of the context is essential.

Download Full-text

Service User and Service Provider Perceptions of Enablers and Barriers for Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Women Accessing and Engaging with Perinatal Mental Health Care Services in the WHO European Region: A Scoping Review Protocol

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19020937 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 937

Author(s):

Kathleen Markey ◽

Anne MacFarlane ◽

Maria Noonan ◽

Mairead Moloney ◽

Susann Huschke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Service Provision ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Perinatal Mental Health ◽

European Region ◽

Health Care Needs ◽

Care Needs ◽

Care Services

There is a need to understand the specific perinatal mental health care needs of migrant subgroups who often have differing health care needs and specific barriers to accessing and engaging with health care services. It is important to have evidence about the WHO European context given the rising numbers of refugees and asylum seekers in the region. The aim of this scoping review is to map the factors that enable and prevent access and engagement of refugee and asylum-seeking women with perinatal mental health care services in the WHO European Region, from the perspectives of service providers and service users. The database search will include PsycINFO, Cochrane, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL complete, Scopus, Academic Search Complete, and Maternity and Infant Care (OVID). Search results will be exported to an online tool that provides a platform to help manage the review process, including title, abstract, and full-text screening and voting by reviewers independently. Data concerning access and engagement with health care services will be mapped on to the candidacy framework. Systematically searching evidence within the WHO European region and examining this evidence through the candidacy lens will help develop a more comprehensive and a deeper conceptual understanding of the barriers and levers of access and engagement with perinatal mental health care services, whilst identifying gaps in existing evidence. Exploring factors that influence access and engagement for refugee and asylum-seeking women from the perspective of key stakeholders in the service provision and/or service utilisation of perinatal mental health care services will add a more comprehensive understanding of the recursive relationship between service provision and use.

Download Full-text

Mental Health Navigation – a Model

Health Promotion International ◽

10.1093/heapro/day109 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 151-159

Author(s):

Gerald Knesek ◽

Thomas Hemphill

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Health Care Needs ◽

Care Needs ◽

Care Services ◽

Whole Person

Summary The need for mental health care services is a growing concern around the world. This article proposes a conceptual model for the role a mental health care navigator to meet the growing needs of consumers who are seeking greater access to fragmented and confusing mental health care services. This conceptual model proposes integrating mental health into primary care with a more patient-centered approach to the care of the whole person. This approach is congruent with The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion Charter calling for the reorienting of health services focusing on the total needs of the individual as a whole person. Although USA focused, the model has potential for sharing across countries to build capacity for mental health care in other countries around the world. The conceptual model focuses on matching consumer mental health care needs with the correct mental health care services. This would ensure that patients get the appropriate mental health care services while allowing the primary care physician to maintain the role of coordinator of care for all of the patient’s health care needs. The main intent of the model is to stimulate discussion and exploration around the role of a proposed mental health care navigator that can lead to creating models reflecting local need and adaptation. Successful models can lead to collaborative discussion encouraging capacity building in other countries. The authors maintain that coordination of health care, including mental, medical and surgical care, is the best approach to controlling costs and ensuring the health of the whole person.

Download Full-text

The Brazilian Community Mental Health Care Services: Social Inclusion and Psychosocial Rehabilitation

Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health ◽

10.1007/s40737-016-0067-4 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 89-94

Author(s):

Mariana Moraes Salles ◽

Sônia Barros ◽

Thelma Simões Matsukura

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Community Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Psychosocial Rehabilitation ◽

Community Mental Health Care ◽

Care Services

Download Full-text

Improving the Doctor/Patient Relationship: A Feminist Perspective

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279400017608 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 337-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Peggy Foster

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Patient Relationship ◽

Care Providers ◽

Doctor Patient Relationship ◽

North West ◽

Care Services ◽

The North

ABSTRACTSince the early 1970s British and American feminists have developed a comprehensive critique of the dominant doctor/patient relationship within mainstream health care services. In Britain, activists in the women's health movement have struggled to put into practice a model of health care delivery based on feminist principles, within which the doctor/patient relationship is radically redesigned. This paper will explore the principles and practice of this feminist health care model. It will then attempt to evaluate alternative strategies for strengthening and expanding feminist health care within the NHS. The paper will draw on data gathered by the author in 1987 through a series of unstructured interviews with feminist health care providers who were working within a variety of NHS settings in the North West of England.

Download Full-text

New horizons in supporting older people's health and wellbeing: is social prescribing a way forward?

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afaa016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 319-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kate Hamilton-West ◽

Alisoun Milne ◽

Sarah Hotham

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Local Community ◽

Local Level ◽

National Policy ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Care Needs ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Social Prescribing ◽

Age Related

Abstract Older people’s health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community. However, researchers have highlighted limitations with the existing evidence-base, while clinicians express concerns about the quality of onward referral services, liability and upfront investment required. The current article provides a critical review of evidence on social prescribing, drawing on the RE-AIM Framework (Glasgow et al., 1999) to identify questions that will need to be addressed in order to inform both the design and delivery of services and the evolving research agenda around social prescribing. We emphasise the need for researchers and planners to work together to develop a more robust evidence-base, advancing understanding of the impacts of social prescribing (on individuals, services and communities), factors associated with variation in outcomes and strategies needed to implement effective and sustainable programmes. We also call on policymakers to recognise the need for investment in allied initiatives to address barriers to engagement in social prescribing programmes, provide targeted support for carers and improve access to older adult mental health services. We conclude that social prescribing has potential to support older people’s health and wellbeing, but this potential will only be realised through strategic alignment of research, local level implementation and national policy and investment.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of primary mental health care in North West province – a qualitative view

South African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v14i4.87 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Claire Van Deventer ◽

Ian Couper ◽

Anne Wright ◽

John Tumbo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Resource Constraints ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

North West ◽

Care Services ◽

North West Province

Background. Due to many complaints by health care workers and patients and a perceived poor standard of care, the mental health care services in the North West province were assessed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The Mental Health Care Act of 2002 makes provision for the integration of services into primary health care. Previously, dedicated mental health care co-ordinators were doing the bulk of the management of this category of patients. Methodology. The qualitative part of the study consisted of free attitude interviews with professional nurses at clinics and focus group interviews with patients, caregivers and mental health care coordinators. Results. There was general satisfaction with the current services. Some dissatisfaction was expressed regarding issues of individualised care versus integration into the general primary care services. Concerns were expressed about resource constraints – in terms of human and physical resources, communication, training, and the role of specialised care.Conclusion. This study highlights issues around integration of mental health care services into primary care, and has provided information for managers and clinicians to utilise in the improvement of mental health care.

Download Full-text