Research project
Title: Effective Involvement in Mental Health Services: Assertive outreach and the voluntary sector
Project timescale: From 01 March, 2005 to 30 September, 2008
(Added to website on: 09 November, 2010 - Date last updated: 06 February, 2013)
Source of funding:
Big Lottery Fund
Aims: This study aimed to explore how both NHS and voluntary sector services could best work to promote effective access to, and engagement with, services for people with serious mental health problems who get labelled as being 'hard to engage'. The primary focus was on the perceptions and needs of people using services and of those who had gone out of contact with them, but it also included input from carers/supporters and staff. There was also a focus on people from black and minority ethnic groups, including Gypsies and Travellers.
Research designs used:
Study of views/experiences
Other:
Methods used to collect data:
Focus groups
Interviews
Questionnaire survey
Other (please specify):
Research project description: The study took place in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was a service user led project based at Bristol Mind, supported by the Big Lottery Fund. The study was mainly qualitative. Participants included people with serious mental health problems who were using NHS assertive outreach services or voluntary outreach services. People who had gone out of touch with mental health services were also included, as were carers/supporters and staff. The study was mainly qualitative. Participants took part in in-depth interviews or focus groups. Conversations were recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes.
Stages at which the public were involved:
Training other people to carry out the research
Writing about the research eg
publications, newsletters
Prioritising topic areas
Final Research Report
Disseminating research
Planning the research
Contributing / commenting on final report
Implementing action
Managing the research
Writing or co-writing final report
Designing the research instruments
(eg questionnaires, patient information sheets)
Speaking about the research eg
workshops, presentations
Seeking funding / applying for funding
Undertaking the research
Assisting in finding and designing appropriate
ways of approaching participants
Analysing the research
Other:
Description of public involvement in research stages: People with mental health problems were involved in many ways right through the life of this project; this included contributing to the design of the project bid for funding. All three researchers had used mental health services so all aspects of running the project (planning, management, recruitment, collecting data, analysis, writing the project report, disseminating findings) were controlled by service users with guidance from a team of supervisors. The user researchers undertook preliminary interviews with people using outreach services to develop of the interview topic guide. The project had an Advisory Group which included people using outreach services, a member from the Gypsy and Traveller community as well as staff from NHS and voluntary services.
Training and support provided for either members of the public or researchers involved in the project: The three user researchers had tailored training on various aspects of the research process. This included research design, interviewing skills, analysis (which included coding and the use of qualitative data analysis software). The project was supervised by a team which included the Director of Research and Development at the local NHS mental health Trust, health professionals, and a professional researcher who had also used mental health services.
Examples of ways the public have made a difference to the research project: Because this project was controlled by service users and also involved members of the public in other ways the whole orientation of the project was oriented to this perspective. Some specific examples are: making the focus of the project the perceptions and needs of people who get labelled as 'hard to engage'; involving people using outreach services in preliminary interviews to shape the topic guide - so these people shaped the fundamental research instrument; the interviewers disclosing to all participants that they had used mental health services; advice from a member of the Gypsy and Traveller community changed the way that data was gathered from those groups.
Evaluating the impact of public involvement in the research: No
Details of publications or reports resulting from the research: There is a full study report, a summary report, and a separate document which provides all appendices. All these documents are available on Bristol Mind's website www.bristolmind.org.uk/training-research/effective-involvement-project. There is also a separate report of the findings relating to Gypsies and Travellers, and an easy to read version of this report. Again both documents are available on Bristol Mind's website, as above.
Links to Reports:
Was/is your project user controlled: Yes
Service users were involved in designing the project. All research staff had used mental health services, so the research project was entirely managed and run by people with mental health problems.
For further information on the project, please contact:
Ms Rosie Davies
Chief Investigator
Bristol Mind
35 Old Market Street
Old Market
Bristol
BS2 0EZ
United Kingdom
Rosemary3.Davies@uwe.ac.uk
0117 328 8796 (at University of the West of England)
Website: http://www.bristolmind.org.uk
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