title: An extra pair of hands? A case study of the introduction of support workers in community mental health teams for older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the expanding deployment of support workers in mental health services, little evidence exists on what managers and professional practitioners should expect of such staff in community settings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This case study evaluated the introduction of support workers in community mental health teams for older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multiple method design engaged support workers and professional colleagues in individual interviews, a focus group and a work satisfaction survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the new resource boosted service provision, disparity between the intended role and the assumptions of professional practitioners caused confusion and dissatisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study highlights the need for managers to ensure role clarity when non-professional workers are introduced into multidisciplinary community teams.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Promoting diversity of skills in the mental health workforce is a progressive move in tuning services to the heterogenous needs of clients in the community. However, introducing unqualified workers into multi-disciplinary teams necessitates clear guidance to prevent their activity being confined within existing professional models. Support workers offer much potential in innovative service delivery.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. n.mccrae@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Niall
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McCrae
authors.forename: Sube
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prior
authors.forename: Ann Marisa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D032022:Delegation, Professional / Q000458:organization & administration; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008131:London; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology