An extra pair of hands? A case study of the introduction of support workers in community mental health teams for older adults.
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.
McCrae
Niall
N
Health Services Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. n.mccrae@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Banerjee
Sube
S
Murray
Joanna
J
Prior
Sue
S
Silverman
Ann Marisa
AM
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