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Making it work: service users and professionals as research partners

Capital is a user‐led training, consultancy and research organisation based in West Sussex. When the local mental health trust decided to evaluate its assertive outreach team, Capital bid to conduct a qualitative review through one‐to‐one interviews with the team's clients and their carers. In this candid article the project team members describe the process, the hurdles and obstacles they encountered, how they were negotiated or overcome, and what they learned from the experience.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:17

Self and carer perspectives of quality of life in dementia using the QoL-AD

OBJECTIVE: Quality of life (QoL) is one of the most important outcomes in improving well-being in people with dementia (PwD). The primary aim of the present study was to compare self and carer ratings of QoL in PwD and to identify the most important factors influencing self and carer ratings.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analytic study of 488 dyads using the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease scale, demographics, data on self-rated health, and clinical characteristics.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:17

Integrating health and social care: commentaries on the case studies in MCC 10.2

Three expert commentaries have been written about the approaches to health and social care integration in Sandwell, Hertfordshire and Barking & Dagenham which were described in the last issue of this journal. They cover organisational, user/carer and international perspectives

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

The experience and practice of approved social workers in Northern Ireland

This article reports on the first extensive survey of Approved Social Worker (ASW) activity under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. The integrated health and social services organizational structure, the adverse effects on individual mental health of the legacy of thirty years of civil conflict and the move from hospital to community care are significant features which have influenced the delivery of mental health social work services locally.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Ten points for a big difference

Mental health: A year and half after the groundbreaking 10 high-impact changes were published comes a new version specifically for mental health services, writes Jackie Ardley

The author lists the Care Services Improvement Partnership's 10 high-impact changes for mental health services that have the greatest positive impact on service users and carer experience, service delivery, outcomes and staff.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Flexible, immediate support and signposting

The Dementia Advisers Service in Kent and Medway was set up to support people with a confirmed diagnosis of dementia and their carers. The service provides face-to-face contact to people in their own homes, telephone and e-mail advice and support to signpost the person with dementia and their carer to appropriate information and services.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Piece of my mind

Commissioning mental health is a complex area and expertise is varied. This article explains 'Values based' commissioning, which aims to put users' views at the heart of reshaping services. Values based commissioning aims to take a fresh look at what kind of services should be commissioned and why, with service users and carers working jointly with commissioners to lead commissioning decisions.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Broadening the definition of leadership: active citizens as leaders of change

The term leadership has been often applicable within the work domain, where development programmes are aimed at managers and lead organisations. However the government has recognised that changes in public services require the collaboration of many stakeholders working together in partnership and has placed at the core of its policies the need to include users and carers.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Communication skills: forming and maintaining relationships with service users, carers, professionals and others

This resource looks at the benefits that are gained from the relationships that are built within social work. Using the voices of service users, carers and workers you will hear accounts of how the relationships that were created helped them to deal with the difficulties they faced.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Making a real difference

The National Institute for Mental Health England (NIMHE) was established in 2002, and from the beginning had a commitment to put people who use services at the centre of their work, and involve service users and carers in the planning and delivery of work. In 2004 the NIMHE executive team conduced a review of service users and carer involvement at all levels within NIMHE, with the aim of identifying what action was needed to develop a more co-ordinated and strategic approach. This article provides a brief overview of the review, its key findings and recommendations.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15