Abstract
Background: Family involvement has been identified as a key aspect of clinical practice that may help to prevent suicide.
Aims: We aim to investigate how families can be effectively involved in supporting a patient accessing crisis mental health services.
Methods A multi-site, ethnographic investigation was undertaken at two crisis resolution home treatment teams (CRHTT) in England. Data included 27 observations of clinical practice and interviews with 6 patients, 4 family members, and 13 healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
Results: Three overarching themes described how families and carers are involved in mental health care. Families played a key role in keeping patients safe by reducing access to means of self-harm. They also provided useful contextual information to healthcare professionals delivering the service. However, delivering a home-based service can be challenging due to the absence of a supportive family environment or practical issues such as the lack of suitable private spaces within the home. At an organisational level, service design and delivery can be adjusted to promote family involvement.
Conclusions: Findings from this study indicate that better communication and dissemination of safety and care plans, shared learning, signposting to carer groups, and support for carers may also facilitate better family involvement. Organisationally, offering flexible appointment times, and alternative spaces for appointments may also help improve services for patients.
Aims: We aim to investigate how families can be effectively involved in supporting a patient accessing crisis mental health services.
Methods A multi-site, ethnographic investigation was undertaken at two crisis resolution home treatment teams (CRHTT) in England. Data included 27 observations of clinical practice and interviews with 6 patients, 4 family members, and 13 healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
Results: Three overarching themes described how families and carers are involved in mental health care. Families played a key role in keeping patients safe by reducing access to means of self-harm. They also provided useful contextual information to healthcare professionals delivering the service. However, delivering a home-based service can be challenging due to the absence of a supportive family environment or practical issues such as the lack of suitable private spaces within the home. At an organisational level, service design and delivery can be adjusted to promote family involvement.
Conclusions: Findings from this study indicate that better communication and dissemination of safety and care plans, shared learning, signposting to carer groups, and support for carers may also facilitate better family involvement. Organisationally, offering flexible appointment times, and alternative spaces for appointments may also help improve services for patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | BJ Psych Open |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2 Feb 2023 |
