Assertive outreach teams in London: staff experiences and perceptions. Pan-London Assertive Outreach Study, part 2.
BACKGROUND
The job satisfaction, burn-out and work experiences of assertive outreach team staff are likely to be important to the model's sustainability.


OBJECTIVE
To describe self-reported views and work experiences of staff in London's 24 assertive outreach teams and to compare these with staff in community mental health teams (CMHTs) and between different types of assertive outreach team.


METHODS
Confidential staff questionnaires in London's assertive outreach teams (n=187, response rate=89%) and nine randomly selected CMHTs (n=114, response rate=75%).


RESULTS
Staff in assertive outreach teams and CMHTs were moderately satisfied with their jobs, with similar sources of satisfaction and stress. Mean scores were low or average for all sub-scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for the assertive outreach team and the CMHT staff, with some differences suggesting less burn-out in the assertive outreach teams. Nine of the 24 assertive outreach teams had team means in the high range for emotional exhaustion and there were significant differences between types of assertive outreach team in some components of burn-out and satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings are encouraging, but repeated investigation is needed when assertive outreach teams have been established for longer.
Billings
Joanne
J
University College London and Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, UK.
Johnson
Sonia
S
Bebbington
Paul
P
Greaves
Adele
A
Priebe
Stefan
S
Muijen
Matt
M
Ryrie
Iain
I
Watts
Joanna
J
White
Ian
I
Wright
Christine
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000592:standards; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires