Background: Individuals with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation are often socially excluded. Enabling social inclusion is an important aspect of recovery-based practice, and improves quality of life. The Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE) is a measure of social inclusion that has been validated for use with people who have mental health problems. Previous research has suggested that the SInQUE could also help to support care planning focused on enabling social inclusion in routine mental health practice. Objectives: To develop an online version of the SInQUE for use in mental health supported accommodation services, and examine its acceptability and perceived usefulness as a tool to support care planning with service users. Methods: i) A lab-testing stage to assess the acceptability of the SInQUE tool through 'think- aloud' testing with six supported accommodation staff; ii) A field-testing stage to assess the acceptability, utility, and use of the SInQUE tool over a 5-month period. An implementation strategy was employed in one London borough to encourage the use of the SInQUE. Qualitative interviews with 12 service users and 12 staff who used the tool were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Use of the SInQUE was compared with two other local authority areas, one urban and one rural, where the tool was made available for use but no implementation strategy was employed. Results: In total, 17 staff used the SInQUE with 28 different service users during the implementation period (about 10% of all service users living in supported accommodation in the study area). Staff and service users we interviewed felt that the SInQUE was collaborative, comprehensive, and user-friendly. Staff deemed the tool relevant to their role. Although some staff were concerned that particular questions might be too personal, service users did not echo this view. Participants generally felt that the SInQUE could help to identify individuals' priorities regarding different aspects of social inclusion through prompting in-depth conversations and tailoring specific support to address areas where service users would like to be more included. Some interviewees also suggested that the tool could highlight areas of unmet or unmeetable need across the borough, that could feed into service planning. The SInQUE was not used in the comparison areas that had no implementation strategy. Conclusions: The online SInQUE is an acceptable and potentially useful tool, that can be recommended to assess and support care planning to enable social inclusion of people living in mental health supported accommodation services. Despite this, take-up rates were modest during the study period. A concerted implementation strategy is key to embedding its use in usual care, including proactive endorsement by senior leaders and service managers.
Objectives To identify the social inclusion needs that were (i) most commonly identified and (ii) most and least commonly prioritised as support planning goals for mental health service users living in supported accommodation, using the online Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE). We qualitatively examined mental health supported accommodation staff and servicer users’ views on barriers to offering support with two less commonly prioritised areas: help finding a partner and feeling less lonely. Methods Anonymous SInQUE data were collected during a completed study in which we developed and tested the online SInQUE. Four focus groups were conducted with mental health supported accommodation staff (N = 2) and service users (N = 2). Results The most common social inclusion needs identified by service users (N = 31) were leisure activities, finding transport options, and feeling less lonely. Of the needs identified, those that service users and staff least frequently prioritised as support planning goals were having company at mealtimes, getting one’s own furniture, feeling less lonely, help with finances, and help finding a partner. In the focus groups, staff and service users identified barriers to helping with loneliness and finding a partner which related to staff and service users themselves, supported accommodation services, and wider societal factors.
Background Clinical trials aim to draw conclusions about the effects of treatments, but a trial can address many different potential questions. For example, does the treatment work well for patients who take it as prescribed? Or does it work regardless of whether patients take it exactly as prescribed? Since different questions can lead to different conclusions on treatment benefit, it is important to clearly understand what treatment effect a trial aims to investigate—this is called the ‘estimand’. Using estimands helps to ensure trials are designed and analysed to answer the questions of interest to different stakeholders, including patients and public. However, there is uncertainty about whether patients and public would like to be involved in defining estimands and how to do so. Public partners are patients and/or members of the public who are part of, or advise, the research team. We aimed to (i) co-develop a tool with public partners that helps explain what an estimand is and (ii) explore public partner’s perspectives on the importance of discussing estimands during trial design. Methods An online consultation meeting was held with 5 public partners of mixed age, gender and ethnicities, from various regions of the UK. Public partner opinions were collected and a practical tool describing estimands, drafted before the meeting by the research team, was developed. Afterwards, the tool was refined, and additional feedback sought via email. Results Public partners want to be involved in estimand discussions. They found an introductory tool, to be presented and described to them by a researcher, helpful for starting a discussion about estimands in a trial design context. They recommended storytelling, analogies and visual aids within the tool. Four topics related to public partners’ involvement in defining estimands were identified: (i) the importance of addressing questions that are relevant to patients and public in trials, (ii) involving public partners early on, (iii) a need for education and communication for all stakeholders and (iv) public partners and researchers working together. Conclusions We co-developed a tool for researchers and public partners to use to facilitate the involvement of public partners in estimand discussions.
Objectives: To identify the social inclusion needs that were i) most commonly identified and ii) most and least commonly prioritised as support planning goals for mental health service users living in supported accommodation, using the online Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE). We qualitatively examined mental health supported accommodation staff and servicer users' views on barriers to offering support with two less commonly prioritised areas: help finding a partner and feeling less lonely. Methods: Anonymous SInQUE data were collected during a completed study in which we developed and tested the online SInQUE. Four focus groups were conducted with mental health supported accommodation staff (N=2) and service users (N=2). Results: The most common social inclusion needs identified by service users (n=31) were leisure activities, finding transport options, and feeling less lonely. Of the needs identified, those that service users and staff least frequently prioritised as support planning goals were having company at mealtimes, getting one's own furniture, feeling less lonely, help with finances, and help finding a partner. In the focus groups, staff and service users identified barriers to helping with loneliness and finding a partner which related to staff and service users themselves, supported accommodation services, and wider societal factors.
BACKGROUND Individuals with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation are often socially excluded. Enabling social inclusion is an important aspect of recovery-based practice, and improves quality of life. The Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE) is a measure of social inclusion that has been validated for use with people who have mental health problems. Previous research has suggested that the SInQUE could also help to support care planning focused on enabling social inclusion in routine mental health practice. OBJECTIVE To develop an online version of the SInQUE for use in mental health supported accommodation services, and examine its acceptability and perceived usefulness as a tool to support care planning with service users. METHODS i) A lab-testing stage to assess the acceptability of the SInQUE tool through ‘think-aloud’ testing with six supported accommodation staff; ii) A field-testing stage to assess the acceptability, utility, and use of the SInQUE tool over a 5-month period. An implementation strategy was employed in one London borough to encourage the use of the SInQUE. Qualitative interviews with 12 service users and 12 staff who used the tool were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Use of the SInQUE was compared with two other local authority areas, one urban and one rural, where the tool was made available for use but no implementation strategy was employed. RESULTS In total, 17 staff used the SInQUE with 28 different service users during the implementation period (about 10% of all service users living in supported accommodation in the study area). Staff and service users we interviewed felt that the SInQUE was collaborative, comprehensive, and user-friendly. Staff deemed the tool relevant to their role. Although some staff were concerned that particular questions might be too personal, service users did not echo this view. Participants generally felt that the SInQUE could help to identify individuals’ priorities regarding different aspects of social inclusion through prompting in-depth conversations and tailoring specific support to address areas where service users would like to be more included. Some interviewees also suggested that the tool could highlight areas of unmet or unmeetable need across the borough, that could feed into service planning. The SInQUE was not used in the comparison areas that had no implementation strategy. CONCLUSIONS The online SInQUE is an acceptable and potentially useful tool, that can be recommended to assess and support care planning to enable social inclusion of people living in mental health supported accommodation services. Despite this, take-up rates were modest during the study period. A concerted implementation strategy is key to embedding its use in usual care, including proactive endorsement by senior leaders and service managers.
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