Professional staff and carers' views of an integrated mental health service for adults with learning disabilities

Abstract

Aims and MethodA study was undertaken to investigate the views of professional staff and paid and informal carers' views of a new integrated mental health service for people with learning disabilities.ResultsTwenty semi-structured interviews were conducted and transcribed. Most staff and carers were generally satisfied with the in-patient facility. However, information exchange, ward rounds and the ward environment were identified as areas requiring improvement.Clinical ImplicationsMany of the participants had no previous experience of supporting a person with learning disabilities and mental health problems in an in-patient setting. However, over time they became supportive of the mental health service and provided valuable input in improving the service provision for people with learning disabilities.

‘What vision?’: experiences of Team members in a community service for adults with intellectual disabilities

“…Moreover, where such research exists, it has focused primarily on services to meet the needs of men and women with additional mental health and/or behavioural needs (e.g. Hassiotis 2002;Hall et al 2006;Samuels et al 2007). With few exceptions (e.g.…”

Annotation: New research into general psychiatric services for adults with intellectual disability and mental illness

“…Samuels et al . (2007) described staff and carer's views of the same service and report their views about the integrated inpatient unit.…”

“…The new integrated service, however, had little effects on theft of property or requests for cigarettes and increased attendance at ward rounds (considered possibly negative for the patients by the authors). Samuels et al (2007) described staff and carer's views of the same service and report their views about the integrated inpatient unit. They gave a semi-structured questionnaire to four families or friends, 12 members of staff from the patients support network and four paid carers although the results were not analysed by group.…”

Secure in-patient services for people with learning disability: is the market serving the user well?

“…These would make good aspirations for forensic learning disability services. The integration learning disability and general adult mental health services generated favourable responses from carers (Samuels et al, 2007), and integrating learning disability and forensic services may be a way of improving secure learning disability provision, and making it more centred on the patient (Department of Health, 2001).…”